Method and apparatus for generating directives for personnel

ABSTRACT

A system and method are provided for determining a recipient of an offer; and for determining an offer which includes an activity and a benefit. The system and method further provide for transmitting, to a representative, instructions to provide the offer to the recipient. The system and method further include determining whether the recipient has performed the activity, and if so providing the benefit to the recipient.

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/309,972, filed Aug. 3, 2001,the content of which is incorporated by reference herein for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to methods and apparatus fordirecting personnel, such as employees.

[0003] Casinos and other entities employ personnel in variouscapacities. Such personnel may be employed to, e.g., assist customers,promote customer satisfaction, or similarly deal with customers in apositive manner.

[0004] Particularly in casinos, customers are players who play games ofchance, such as poker, blackjack, keno and slot machines. Some games aretable based, such as a table game of poker or blackjack, and others areplayed using devices, such as slot machines, video poker machines, videoblackjack machines and keno machines. Such games typically involve amonetary wager, where a player may win funds in the form of cash, chips,or other monetary forms.

[0005] In a casino, as in other businesses, customer satisfaction may beincreased in several ways, such as by offering better service to suchcustomers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system consistent with oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0007]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a gaming device ofthe system of FIG. 1.

[0008]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a representativedevice of the system of FIG. 1.

[0009]FIG. 4 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a central computerof the system of FIG. 1.

[0010]FIG. 5 is a table illustrating an exemplary data structure of aplayer database for use in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011]FIG. 6 is a table illustrating an exemplary data structure of anoffer determination database for use in an embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0012]FIG. 7 is a table illustrating an exemplary data structure of anoffer database for use in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013]FIG. 8 is a table illustrating an exemplary data structure of arepresentative database for use in an embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0014]FIG. 9 is a table illustrating an exemplary data structure of anoffer tracking database for use in an embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0015]FIG. 10 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a subsidizerdevice of the system of FIG. 1.

[0016]FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a process that may beperformed with the system of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Applicants have recognized that various companies spend greatamounts of money and other resources acquiring customers, marketingproducts to customers, and obtaining information about potentialcustomers.

[0018] Applicants have also recognized that sales techniques of suchcompanies may be improved in accordance with certain embodiments of thepresent invention.

[0019] Applicants have also recognized that personnel, such as personnelof a casino or other service or hospitality establishment, have periodsof time when they are on duty (and presumably being paid) but have notasks to perform. Applicants have recognized that such time may beeffectively used with certain embodiments of the present invention.

[0020] In general, an embodiment of the present invention allows anemployee of a casino or other business (the employee referred to as a“representative”) to work with a computer system to determine an offerand present it to a recipient, such as a player at a gaming device. Forexample, a representative on the floor of a casino may carry a PDA(personal digital assistant) or other device, such as a cellulartelephone or other wireless electronic device. Using the PDA, therepresentative may identify players who should receive offers.

[0021] Such an offer may comprise an activity for the player to perform,and a corresponding benefit to the player in exchange for theperformance or promise to perform the activity. For example, the offermay be to receive a bonus of five hundred credits in exchange forapplying for a new credit card account.

[0022] The representative may then approach the player and ask himwhether he would like to accept the offer. For example, therepresentative may ask the player, “Hello, Mr. Smith. My name is Karenand I work here at the Lucky Dice Casino. Based on your slot play overthe last couple of days, we've determined that you're eligible toreceive a bonus of 500 credits if you sign up for a new Big Bank creditcard. Would you like to accept this offer and receive your bonus of 500credits?”

[0023] If the player accepts the offer, then the representative may usethe PDA to transmit the acceptance to the casino's central computer. Thebenefit designated in the offer may then be provided to the player(e.g., by crediting a player account accordingly).

[0024] Applicants have recognized that people are generally more likelyto accept offers that are presented to them by other people(representatives) than offers that are presented to them by devices(e.g. slot machines).

[0025] Referring now to FIG. 1, an apparatus 100 according to anembodiment of the present invention includes a central computer 110 thatis in communication, via a communications network 120, with one or moregaming devices 130 (e.g., slot machine, video poker machines), with oneor more representative devices 140 and or with one or more subsidizerdevices 150. The central computer 110 may communicate with the devices130, 140 and 150 directly, via the Internet, via a wireless medium, viaa wired medium such as Ethernet, LAN or WAN or via any appropriatecommunications means or combination of communications means. Each of thedevices 130, 140 and 150 may comprise computers, such as those based onthe Intel® Pentium® processor, that are adapted to communicate with thecentral computer 110. Any number of devices 130, 140 and 150 may be incommunication with the central computer 110.

[0026] Communication between the devices 130, 140 and 150 and thecentral computer 110 may be direct or indirect, such as over theInternet through a Web site maintained by central computer 110 on aremote server or over an on-line data network including commercialon-line service providers, bulletin board systems and the like. In yetother embodiments, the devices may communicate with central computer 110over RF, cable TV, satellite links and the like.

[0027] The communication network 120 may permit or facilitatecommunication between various devices in communication therewith. Forexample, (i) the central computer may transmit information to a gamingdevice (e.g., to control its operation); (ii) a gaming device maytransmit information to the central computer (e.g., information about aplayer's gaming activities); (iii) the central computer may transmitinformation to a representative device (e.g., information aboutpotential offers); (iv) a representative device may transmit informationto the central computer (e.g., an indication that an offer has beenaccepted); (v) a gaming device may transmit information to arepresentative device (e.g., information about a player's gamingactivities); (vi) a representative device may transmit information to agaming device (e.g., a request to increase a player's credit balance atthe slot machine); (vii) a subsidizer device may transmit information tothe central computer (e.g., information about available subsidies); and(viii) the central computer may transmit information to a subsidizerdevice (e.g., a request for payment subsidies in response to activitiesperformed by players). Additional forms of communication will be readilyapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0028] Some, but not all, possible communication networks include: alocal area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), the Internet, atelephone line, a cable line, a radio channel, an optical communicationsline, a satellite communications link. Possible communications protocolsinclude: Ethernet, Bluetooth, TCP/IP. Communication may be encrypted toensure privacy and prevent fraud in any of a variety of ways well knownin the art.

[0029] Those skilled in the art will understand that devices incommunication with each other need not be continually transmitting toeach other. On the contrary, such devices need only transmit to eachother as necessary, and may actually refrain from exchanging data mostof the time. For example, a device in communication with another devicevia the Internet may not transmit data to the other device for weeks ata time.

[0030] The central computer 110 may function as a “Web server” thatgenerates Web pages (documents on the Web that typically include an HTMLfile and associated graphics and script files) that may be accessed viathe Web and allows communication with the central computer 110 in amanner known in the art.

[0031] Any or all of the devices 130, 140 and 150 may comprise, e.g.,conventional personal computers, portable types of computers, such as alaptop computer, a palm-top computer, a hand-held computer, or aPersonal Digital Assistant (PDA). A representative device is typically aPDA in many of the examples presented herein.

[0032]FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment 200 of a gaming device. Thegaming device may be implemented as a system controller, a dedicatedhardware circuit, an appropriately programmed general-purpose computer,or any other equivalent electronic, mechanical or electro-mechanicaldevice. A gaming device may comprise, for example, a slot machine, avideo poker terminal, a pachinko machine or a table-top game. In variousembodiments, a gaming device may comprise, e.g., a personal computer, atelephone (e.g., to communicate with an automated sports book thatprovides gaming services), or a portable handheld gaming device (e.g., apersonal digital assistant or Nintendo GameBoy).

[0033] In embodiments of the invention addressing table game play suchas blackjack, craps, roulette, baccarat, Keno, Bingo, and the like, thegaming device may be hardware located at the game table suitable forentering player identifiers or average bet sizes. A gaming device neednot be located in a casino.

[0034] The gaming device comprises a processor 210, such as one or moreIntel® Pentium® processors. The processor 210 is in communication with amemory 220. The memory 220 may comprise an appropriate combination ofmagnetic, optical and/or semiconductor memory, and may include, forexample, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), a compactdisc and/or a hard disk. The processor 210 and the memory 220 may eachbe, for example: (i) located entirely within a single computer or otherdevice; or (ii) connected to each other by a remote communicationmedium, such as a serial port cable, telephone line or radio frequencytransceiver. In one embodiment, the gaming device may comprise one ormore devices that are connected to a remote server computer formaintaining databases.

[0035] The memory stores a program for controlling the processor 210.The processor 210 performs instructions of the program, and therebyoperates in accordance with the present invention, and particularly inaccordance with the methods described in detail herein. The program maybe stored in a compressed, uncompiled and/or encrypted format. Theprogram furthermore includes program elements that may be necessary,such as an operating system, a database management system and “devicedrivers” for allowing the processor 210 to interface with computerperipheral devices. Appropriate program elements are known to thoseskilled in the art, and need not be described in detail herein.

[0036] According to an embodiment of the present invention, theinstructions of the program may be read into a main memory from anothercomputer-readable medium, such from a ROM to RAM. Execution of sequencesof the instructions in program causes processor 210 to perform theprocess steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wiredcircuitry may be used in place of, or in combination with, softwareinstructions for implementation of the processes of the presentinvention. Thus, embodiments of the present invention are not limited toany specific combination of hardware and software.

[0037] The gaming device also includes an input device 230, which is adevice that is capable of receiving an input from a player. Examples ofinput devices include, but are not limited to, a computer keyboard, acomputer mouse, a touch screen, a button, a handle, a microphone, avideo camera, a magnetic stripe reader (e.g., to read a player trackingcard), a biometric input device (e.g., a fingerprint or retinalscanner), a radio antenna (e.g., for receiving inputs from a secondgaming device), a voice recognition module, a coin or bill acceptor. Forgaming devices, common input devices include a button or touch screen ona video poker machine, a lever or handle connected to the gaming device,and a magnetic stripe reader to read a player tracking card insertedinto a gaming device.

[0038] The gaming device includes an output device 240, which is adevice that may be used to output information from the gaming device toa player. Examples of output devices include, but are not limited to avideo monitor, a light-emitting diode (LED), an audio speaker, anelectric motor, a printer (e.g., such as for printing cashless gamingvouchers), a coupon or product dispenser, an infra-red port (e.g., forcommunicating with a second gaming device), a Braille computer monitor,and a coin or bill dispenser. For gaming devices, common output devicesinclude a cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor on a video poker machine, abell on a gaming device (e.g., rings when a player wins), an LED displayof a player's credit balance on a gaming device, an LCD display of apersonal digital assistant (PDA) for displaying keno numbers.

[0039] The gaming device may include a random number generator 250,which generates data representing random or pseudo-random values. Therandom number generator 250 may be implemented in hardware, software ora combination thereof in a manner known in the art.

[0040] The gaming device includes a payment system 260 which is a devicecapable of accepting payment from a player (e.g., a bet or initiation ofa balance) and/or providing payment to a player (e.g., a payout).Payment is not limited to money, but may also include other types ofconsideration, including products, services, and alternate currencies.

[0041] Exemplary methods of accepting payment by the payment systeminclude (i) receiving hard currency (i.e., coins or bills), andaccordingly the payment system 260 may comprise a coin or bill acceptor;(ii) receiving an alternate currency (e.g., a paper cashless gamingvoucher, a coupon, a non-negotiable token), and accordingly the paymentsystem 260 may comprise a bar code reader or other sensing means; (iii)receiving a payment identifier (e.g., a credit card number, a debit cardnumber, a player tracking card number) and debiting the accountidentified by the payment identifier; and (iv) determining that a playerhas performed a value-added activity.

[0042] Exemplary methods of providing payment to a player include (i)dispensing hard currency (i.e., coins or bills); (ii) dispensing analternate currency, such as a paper cashless gaming voucher, a coupon, anon-negotiable token; (iii) crediting a player account (e.g., a bankaccount or other financial account) which is identified by a paymentidentifier (e.g., a credit card number, a debit card number, a playertracking card number); and (iv) providing a product or service to theplayer (e.g., a jackpot prize may be a new car).

[0043] In one embodiment, a player may operate a plurality of gamingdevices. For example, a player may simultaneously play two side-by-sidegaming devices, a player may play one gaming device (e.g. a gamingdevice) and then continue his gaming session at another gaming device(e.g. a video poker machine), and a player may remotely operate a gamingdevice, possibly by using a telephone, PDA or other device (i) totransmit commands (directly or indirectly) to the gaming device, such aswager amounts and commands to select certain cards; and/or (ii) toreceive output (directly or indirectly) from the gaming device.

[0044] In one embodiment, a gaming device may allow a player to play agame of skill rather than a game of chance. Such an embodiment may bemore appealing to certain players or may be permitted in areas where itis illegal to gamble on games of chance.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 3, an embodiment 300 of a representative deviceis shown. The representative device includes a processor 310, memory320, one or more input devices 330 and one or more output device 340, asdescribed above with respect to the embodiment 200 of the gaming device.According to one embodiment, a representative device may comprise, forexample, a PDA (e.g., made by Palm, Handspring or Blackberry), a tabletcomputer, a notebook computer (e.g., running Microsoft Windows), awearable computer, a cellular telephone (e.g., to allow a representativeto interact with the central computer using an interactive voicerecognition unit (IVRU)), a walkie-talkie, a cash register (e.g.,including a touch screen) or an Internet-enabled kiosk. In severalexamples presented herein, a representative device is implemented as aPDA carried by a representative.

[0046] In an embodiment where a representative device is a PDA, commoninput devices include a touch screen, a keypad, a microphone and/or amagnetic stripe reader (e.g., for scanning player tracking cards). ForPDAs, common output devices include a liquid crystal display screen, anaudio speaker, and/or a dot-matrix printer.

[0047] The PDA may have Internet access, either directly through awireless modem or through its communication with another device that hasInternet access.

[0048] As described in detail herein, a representative device isoperable to assist or permit a representative to perform severalfunctions, including but not limited to viewing information relating toplayers (e.g., a player's name, session win, hobbies), indicatinginformation relating to players (e.g., indicating a player who wouldlike to receive an offer), viewing information relating to offers (e.g.,offer details, lists of potential offers), and/or indicating informationrelating to offers (e.g., whether an offer was accepted or rejected).

[0049] A representative may operate one or more representative devices.For example, a representative may use a first PDA to view informationabout potential offers and a second PDA to view information about aplayer's gaming activities.

[0050] In one embodiment, a particular representative device may beassociated with a specific representative. For example, a representativemay wear an earphone walkie-talkie, which allows him to receive audioprompts from the central computer. In one embodiment, a particular PDAmay be associated with a plurality of representatives. For example, fiverepresentatives may take turns using a cash register at a bar to performfunctions such as viewing potential offers and indicating playerinformation.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 4, an embodiment 400 of the central computerincludes a processor 410, memory 420, one or more input devices 430 andone or more output devices 440, as described above with respect to theembodiment 200 of the gaming device. In one embodiment, the centralcomputer comprises one or more computers, such as server computers.

[0052] The memory 420 stores a program 450 for controlling the processor410. The processor 410 performs instructions of the program 450, andthereby operates in accordance with the present invention, andparticularly in accordance with the methods described in detail herein.The program may be stored in a compressed, uncompiled and/or encryptedformat. The program furthermore includes program elements that may benecessary, such as an operating system, a database management system and“device drivers” for allowing the processor 410 to interface withcomputer peripheral devices. Appropriate program elements are known tothose skilled in the art, and need not be described in detail herein.

[0053] According to an embodiment of the present invention, theinstructions of the program may be read into a main memory from anothercomputer-readable medium, such from a ROM to RAM. Execution of sequencesof the instructions in program causes processor 410 to perform theprocess steps described herein. In alternative embodiments, hard-wiredcircuitry may be used in place of, or in combination with, softwareinstructions for implementation of the processes of the presentinvention. Thus, embodiments of the present invention are not limited toany specific combination of hardware and software.

[0054] The memory 420 also stores a player database 455, an offerdetermination database 460, and offer database 465, a representativedatabase 470 and an offer tracking database 475, each of which isdescribed in detail herein.

[0055] In addition, the central computer may store information aboutsubsidizers in a subsidizer database (not shown). Such a subsidizerdatabase may include, e.g. information identifying the subsidizer,information about offers made on the subsidizers behalf, informationabout what may be due the subsidizer, and information about what may beowed by the subsidizer.

[0056] Referring to FIG. 5, a tabular representation 500 of the playerdatabase includes a number of example records or entries 510, 520 and530, each defining a player. Those skilled in the art will understandthat the player database may include any number of entries. The tabularrepresentation 500 also defines fields for each of the entries orrecords. The fields specify: (i) a player identifier 540 that uniquelyidentifies the player; (ii) a player name 550; (iii) a sessiontheoretical win 560; (iv) a current location of the player; and (v)notes regarding the player, such as interests, hobbies, and informationuseful in determining offers the player may be more likely to accept.Characteristics of a player may be particularly useful in determining anoffer to present to the player, as is described in detail herein.

[0057] Notes may be (i) entered by the representative; (ii) entered by acasino employee; (iii) automatically determined or calculated by thegaming device and/or the central computer; (iv) entered by the player;or (v) any combination thereof.

[0058] Player database may further include any other data related to aplayer, including but not limited to (i) amount lost or won in thecurrent gaming session; (ii) amount won or lost during this stay at thecasino, during this vacation or during any other desired time period;and (iii) activities performed during his stay at a casino.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 6, a tabular representation 600 of the offerdetermination database includes a number of example records or entries610, 615, 620, 625 and 630, each defining a condition and correspondingoffer. Those skilled in the art will understand that the offer conditiondatabase may include any number of entries. The tabular representation600 also defines fields for each of the entries or records. The fieldsspecify: (i) an offer condition 640 which, when true, specifies that thecorresponding offer should be made, or is allowed to be made; and (ii)an offer identifier 650 which uniquely identifies the offer. In thedepicted embodiment, the offer to be made is represented by an offeridentifier, which in turn is used to specify information about an offerstored in the offer database, described in more detail below.

[0060] The data stored in the offer determination database may be usedto specify conditions under which certain offers should be made, orconditions under which certain offers are allowed to be made.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 7, a tabular representation 700 of the offerdatabase includes a number of example records or entries 710, 720, 730,740 and 750, each defining an offer. Those skilled in the art willunderstand that the offer database may include any number of entries.The tabular representation 700 also defines fields for each of theentries or records. The fields specify: (i) an offer identifier 760which uniquely identifies the offer; (ii) an activity 770; and (iii) abenefit 780. According to one embodiment, the activity must be performedby the offer recipient (e.g., a player) in order to receive the benefit.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the offer database may also storeinformation about subsidies associated with offers.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 8, a tabular representation 800 of therepresentative database includes a number of example records or entries810, 820, 830 and 840, each defining a representative. Those skilled inthe art will understand that the representative database may include anynumber of entries. The tabular representation 800 also defines fieldsfor each of the entries or records. The fields specify: (i) arepresentative identifier 850 which uniquely identifies therepresentative; (ii) a current location 860 of the representative, whichmay indicate a general geographic location and/or a specific gamingdevice engaged by the representative; (iii) a current activity 870 ofthe representative which may be utilized, e.g., in embodiments where thedown time of the representative is determined; and (iv) a commissionearned 880 by the representative during the shift or other time period,which commission may be expressed in various manners, such as acommission earned in the current shift.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 9, a tabular representation 900 of the offertracking database includes a number of example records or entries 910,915, 920 and 925, each defining an offer that has been made. Thoseskilled in the art will understand that the offer tracking database mayinclude any number of entries. The tabular representation 900 alsodefines fields for each of the entries or records. The fields specify:(i) a made offer identifier 930 which uniquely identifies an offer thathas been made or provided to a recipient; (ii) an offer identifier 935(corresponding to an offer identifier of the offer database of FIG. 7)which describes the offer that has been made, and thus the correspondingactivity and benefit; (iii) a player identifier 940 (corresponding toplayer identifiers of the player database of FIG. 5) which uniquelyidentifies the player who received the offer made; (iv) a representativeidentifier 945 (corresponding to representative identifiers listed inrepresentative database of FIG. 8) which uniquely identifies therepresentative who made the offer; (v) an indication 950 of whether theoffer was accepted; (vi) an indication 955 of whether the activitycorresponding to the offer has been completed; and (vii) an indication960 of whether the benefit has been provided.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 10, an embodiment 1000 of a subsidizer deviceis shown. The subsidizer device includes a processor 1010, memory 1020,one or more input devices 1030 and one or more output devices 1040, asdescribed above with respect to the embodiment 200 of the gaming device.According to one embodiment, a subsidizer device may comprise, forexample, a personal computer, a mainframe computer, or any othercomputer or computer-based device that allows a subsidizer tocommunicate appropriately with the central computer. Such devices areknown to those skilled in the art and need not be discussed in detailherein. Communications between a subsidizer and the central computer mayinclude, but are not limited to transmitting and receiving informationrelating to activities by players; transmitting and receivinginformation relating to benefits for players; and transmitting andreceiving information relating to subsidies provided by the subsidizer.

[0066] According to one embodiment, a subsidizer may provide a subsidyto an offer recipient (e.g., a player) or to the casino or otheroffering party. Such a subsidy may be provided in exchange for theplayer performing an activity. For example, a subsidizer that is a bankmay find it advantageous to require the customer to perform a pricingactivity, such as signing up for a credit card issued by that bank.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 11, a flow chart 1100 represents an embodimentof the present invention that may be performed by the central computer110 (FIG. 1). The particular arrangement of elements in the flow chartof FIG. 11, as well as the other flow charts discussed herein, is notmeant to imply a fixed order to the steps; embodiments of the presentinvention can be practiced in any order that is practicable.

[0068] The steps of the flow chart 1100 are presented, followed by amore detailed description of each step and alternatives thereto invarious embodiments of the invention.

[0069] The central computer determines a recipient of an offer (step1110) and also determines an offer which includes an activity and abenefit (step 1120). The central computer also determines arepresentative to provide the offer to the recipient (step 1130), andprovides to the representative information relating to the offer and therecipient (step 1140). Subsequently, the central computer determineswhether the recipient has performed the activity (step 1150); and if soprovides the benefit to the recipient (step 1160).

[0070] In the step 1100 of determining a recipient of an offer, therecipient (e.g., a player in a casino) may be identified by arepresentative, by the central computer, by the recipient himself, or bya friend or associate of the recipient.

[0071] According to one embodiment, a player may be identified by arepresentative. For example, a representative may use a PDA to identifya player to the central computer. In various embodiments,representatives include, but are not limited to casino hosts, pitbosses, cocktail waitresses, coin changers, card dealers, cashiers,other casino employees, bus drivers and flight attendants.

[0072] Methods of identifying a player include indicating (i) theplayer's name, (ii) the player's identification number (e.g., from atracking card); (iii) a contact identifier for the player (e.g., theplayer's cell phone number, email address, credit card number, hotelroom, or postal address); (iv) indicating a gaming device that is beingoperated by the player (e.g., the player at slot machine #25); (v) theplayer's location—for example, a representative's PDA may have abuilt-in global position system (GPS) where the location of a player maybe determined based on an indication of the player's location relativeto the representative's PDA (e.g., “Twenty feet in front of me”); (vi) asufficient number of characteristics of the player to identify himrelative to other players in the area (e.g., male, gray hair, slightlybalding, mustache, wearing a red and white Hawaiian-print shirt, smokingcigar, drinking margarita); (vii) an activity being performed by theplayer (e.g., the player operating the ATM machine); and/or (viii) abiometric of the player (e.g., a scan of the player's fingerprint, aphotograph of the player). A player may be identified using acombination of the above or other methods. For example, a representativemay identify, “the red-haired player sitting at the bank of slotmachines thirty meters in front of me.”

[0073] In one embodiment, a representative may identify multiple playerssimultaneously. For example, a representative may indicate that all theplayers at blackjack table #4 should receive offers.

[0074] A representative will typically use a representative device suchas a PDA to identify a player, for example, by (i) typing a player'sname into a numeric keypad on the PDA; (ii) using a magnetic stripereader on the PDA to read a player's tracking card number; (iii) using afingerprint scanner on the PDA to read a player's fingerprint; (iv)using a camera on the PDA to take a picture of the player; and/or (v)using direct indication (e.g., a PDA may have a GPS, an electroniccompass, and a laser range finder, and the representative may determinethe exact location of the player by pointing the PDA at a player).

[0075] Representatives may be very perceptive and highly skilled indetermining player's moods and feelings. Such skills would permit arepresentative to more readily identify players who should receiveoffers, but who may not have been identified by the central computer. Insome embodiments, relative strengths of the representatives and thecentral computer will complement each other in determining which playersshould receive offers.

[0076] According to one embodiment, the central computer may select alist of one or more players and indicate these players to arepresentative. The representative may then be prompted to identify atleast one player from the list to receive an offer. This prompt may bedisplayed through a PDA carried by the representative. For example, therepresentative may be prompted to identify (i) which player appears tobe in the best mood (and therefore would be most receptive to an offer);(ii) a player who appears to be with a group (e.g., for an offer thatbenefits multiple people); (iii) which player would be most receptive toa particular type of offer (e.g., who looks like they are hungry andwould want a free meal comp?); (iv) a player who appears to befrustrated by a long wait for a mechanic to fix a machine malfunction ora long wait for a hopper fill; and/or (v) a player who appears to befrustrated by a winning streak by a casino dealer (such as a blackjackdealer who has not busted for a very long time or has been achieving atotal of twenty one).

[0077] According to one embodiment, a player identified by arepresentative may be verified by the central computer. For example, arepresentative may identify a player to receive a new credit card andthe central computer may check its records to make sure that the playeris a good credit risk.

[0078] While a player is at a casino or otherwise engaged ingambling-related activities, various events may occur. For example, aplayer may arrive at a casino, check into his hotel room, register for aplayer tracking card, start gambling at a gaming device, win a $100jackpot, place a keno bet, etc. According to one embodiment of theinvention, a player may be identified by the central computer inresponse to any one or more of these gaming-related activities.

[0079] The central computer may identify a player to receive an offer inresponse to a trigger (also referred to herein as a “trigger event”). Atrigger may be any event, circumstance, or condition that results from aplayer's activities, e.g. at a casino.

[0080] Examples of triggers relating to gaming activities performed bythe player include, but are not limited to, whether the player registersfor a player tracking card; initiates a gaming session; inserts hisplayer tracking card into a gaming device; inserts a coin or bill into agaming device; makes a bet at a gaming device or table game; makes amaximum bet at a gaming device; wins a jackpot at a gaming device;obtains a winning outcome at a gaming device; obtains a losing outcomeat a gaming device (or a losing series of outcomes); finishes a gamingsession; presses the “cash out” button on a gaming device or picks uphis chips from a blackjack table; presses the “change request” button ona gaming device; obtains an intermediate outcome at a gaming device(e.g., a single card is dealt at video blackjack); is waiting for a fillso that he can be paid coins due; and/or doubles down on a blackjackbet.

[0081] Triggers may also comprise other activities performed by theplayer. Examples of such activities include, but are not limited to,whether the player reserves a hotel room at the casino; checks into orout of a hotel room at the casino; purchases a meal at a restaurantassociated with the casino; receives a complimentary beverage; requestsa complimentary product or service; receives a complimentary product orservice; attends a show or sporting event; usually eats dinner now;and/or must check out of the hotel.

[0082] Triggers may also comprise the status of a player's gamingsessions, including but not limited to, whether the player's creditbalance at a gaming device is greater or less than a certain value;session win is greater or less than a certain value; session theoreticalwin is greater or less than a certain value; session coin-in is greateror less than a certain value; year-to-date win is greater or less than acertain value; year-to-date theoretical win is greater or less than acertain value; year-to-date coin-in is greater or less than a certainvalue; and/or current gaming session is considered on a winning streakor a losing streak.

[0083] Triggers may also comprise activities performed by, or the statusof a gaming session of, another player who is in some way associatedwith the player. Conditions relating to other players are similar to thetrigger events described herein. Examples of other players associatedwith the player include, but are not limited to a player who isoperating a nearby gaming device; a player who is sharing a room withthe player; a player who arrived on the same bus as the player; andfamily members, friends, and other associates of the player.

[0084] Triggers may also comprise conditions or events relating torevenue management considerations of a casino or other entity. Examplesinclude but are not limited to less than a desired number of rooms in ahotel are rented at a certain time (which may result in, e.g., an offerfor a discount on a room); less than a desired number of gaming devicesare being played at a certain time (which may result in, e.g., an offerwhich requires an activity of playing a gaming device); and/or otheractivities of a player are desired in order to derive revenue from theplayer.

[0085] Triggers may also comprise conditions or events relating tooffers that have been provided previously, including but not limited tothe player completes an activity specified by a previous offer; theplayer has not performed an activity specified by a previous offer; thenumber of offers provided exceeds a predetermined quantity (e.g., in anembodiment where only a limited number of offers may be provided oraccepted); a new offer, activity or benefit is added to the offerdatabase; and/or the player accepts or rejects an offer.

[0086] The central computer may receive information about triggers froma variety of sources, including but not limited to gaming devices (e.g.,a slot machine may transmit a message to the central computer when aplayer inserts his tracking card); input devices (e.g., a check-interminal in the hotel lobby); casino employees (e.g., a cocktailwaitress may use a computer keyboard to indicate that a player receiveda complimentary beverage); and/or databases accessible by the centralcomputer (e.g., the information about a player's gaming history may bestored in the player database, such as the player database shown in FIG.5 which may store a player's session coin-in).

[0087] In one embodiment, a player may identify himself, such as bypressing a button on a gaming device marked “Give me an offer”; pressinga button on a gaming device marked “Please summon a casinorepresentative”; registering at the casino front desk to receive offers;operating a PDA or other device to identify himself; and/or wearing anidentification badge (e.g., a radio frequency identification token,Vividot system by ImageID). Other methods that a player may use toidentify himself are analogous to those described for representativesherein. In one embodiment, a player may receive a benefit merely foridentifying himself.

[0088] In one embodiment, a player may be identified by one of hisfriends or associates. For example, a friend of a player may talk with arepresentative and provide information about the player to identify him(e.g., by indicating the player's name, location, cell phone number,etc.). A friend of a player may also use a kiosk, PDA, gaming device, orother device to identify the player (e.g., by indicating the player'scurrent location). Other methods that a friend may use to identify aplayer are analogous to those described for representatives herein.

[0089] In one embodiment, a friend of a player may receive a benefit foridentifying the player.

[0090] The central computer may determine an offer to present to theidentified player. This offer generally includes an activity that shouldbe performed by the player (or obligation to be completed), as well as abenefit to be provided to the player.

[0091] According to one embodiment, the central computer determines anactivity and a benefit using conditions and corresponding offers. Forexample, the central computer may store an offer determination database,such as the database depicted in FIG. 6. As described herein, an offermay be provided when the corresponding condition is true. This offer maybe identified by an offer identifier. The central computer may then usean offer database (e.g., as depicted in FIG. 7) to determine an activitythat should be performed by the player and a benefit that may beprovided to the player. For example, a rule might specify a conditionsuch that all dollar slot customers currently playing are offered: abenefit of a free buffet comp if they agree to an activity of a testdriving a Ford truck sometime in the next month.

[0092] There are many other ways of determining an activity to beperformed and a benefit to be provided. Examples include (i) apseudo-random system. For example, the central computer may randomlyselect an activity for the player to perform from a list of potentialactivities (e.g. in a database) and also select a benefit from a list ofpotential benefits (e.g. in a database); (ii) allowing the player tochoose his own offer. For example a player may be allowed to choose anactivity to perform from a list of potential activities. The list ofpotential activities may be determined by the central computer anddisplayed to the representative. The representative may then present thelist of potential activities to the player; (iii) allowing arepresentative to choose an offer for the player; and/or (iv)determining an activity using a first method and determining a benefitusing a second method. For example, an activity may be determined basedon which trigger event occurred, whereas a benefit may be determinedusing a pseudo-random process.

[0093] If the central computer uses conditions and corresponding offersto determine an activity and a benefit to present to a player, then thecentral computer may evaluate one or more types of data in determiningwhether the condition is true. Some general types of data include, butare not limited to data relating to the trigger, as described herein;characteristics of the player; characteristics of the representative whowill present the offer; the player's gaming activities; data relating tothe player's visit to the casino (e.g., arrival, hotel stay, meals,entertainment); data relating to other players; the casino's revenues;data relating to subsidies; and/or data relating to offers. Any or allof this information may be made available to the representative, whichmay assist the representative in providing offers or providing offersmore effectively.

[0094] Some examples of player characteristics include, but are notlimited to information stored in the player database; informationdetermined by a representative (e.g., by talking to the player); theplayer's hobbies and interests (e.g., sailing, golf); physicalcharacteristics of the player (e.g., age, height, weight, gender, dressand appearance); psychological characteristics of the player (e.g.,creativity, risk-aversion, IQ); the player's marital status; theplayer's occupation, income, work hours, credit report; and/or theplayer's medical history.

[0095] Data representing player characteristics may be, e.g., stored inthe player database, entered by the representative, entered by theplayer, calculated by the central computer or determinable from externaldata sources.

[0096] In various embodiments, a representative (prior to presenting anoffer) may be identified before (or simultaneously with) thedetermination of the offer. In such an embodiment, variouscharacteristics of the representative may be considered in determiningthe offer. Examples of characteristics of representatives include, butare not limited to the identity of the representative; the acceptancerate of offers made by the representative; the representative's relativeability in providing certain offers or acceptance rate with providingcertain offers; the representative's history of making offers (e.g.,speed, clarity, acceptance rate with this type of player), which may bedetermined by accessing the offer tracking database depicted in FIG. 9;physical characteristics of the representative (e.g., age, height,weight, gender, dress, appearance); what type of PDA the representativehas (such information is particularly advantageous in an embodimentwhere certain offers require PDAs to have certain components orcapabilities for proper or optimal presentation of the offer. Forexample, for full effect a particular offer may need to be presented toa player in audio form, such as a jingle or a song. If arepresentative's PDA does not have a speaker or other audio outputdevice, then it may be difficult for the representative to understandthe tune of the jingle. Therefore, it might be better to select adifferent offer using that particular PDA.); a commission rate, or totalcommissions paid to the representative (e.g., the offer selected may bean offer which provides the representative with sufficient points tomeet his goal for the week); time constraints for the representative(e.g., is the representative's shift going to end soon? Then a shortoffer should be selected.); and/or the representative's preferences(e.g., does he prefer to make a particular type of offer?).

[0097] Data representing characteristics of representatives may be,e.g., stored in the representative database, entered by therepresentative, calculated by the central computer or determinable fromexternal data sources.

[0098] Examples of a player's gaming activities include, but are notlimited to the player's past gaming activities (e.g., year-to-datecoin-in, coin-in during any appropriate period); the player's presentgaming activities (e.g., current credit balance); the player'santicipated future gaming activities (e.g., the player will likely stopgambling in 10 minutes to attend a show at the casino, based oninformation about the player); metrics of the player's gaming activities(e.g., session theoretical win calculated in a manner known in the art);and/or the player's preferences (e.g., video poker instead of blackjack,based on past gaming sessions of the player).

[0099] Data representing gaming activities of players may be, e.g.,stored in the player database, entered by the representative, calculatedby the central computer or determinable from external data sources.

[0100] Examples of the player's visit to the casino include, but are notlimited to people who accompanied the player to the casino (e.g.,friends, family members); whether the player has reserved a hotel roomat the casino; purchases made by the player at the casino (e.g.,clothes, souvenirs, food); and/or the duration of the player's visit tothe casino.

[0101] Data representing a player's visit to the casino may be, e.g.,stored in the player database, entered by the representative, calculatedby the central computer or determinable from external data sources (e.g.a hotel reservation system, computers of stores or restaurants, creditcard network computers).

[0102] Examples of the casino's revenue include, but are not limited toless than a desired number of rooms in a hotel are rented at a certaintime; less than a desired number of gaming devices are being played at acertain time; and/or activities of players which are desired in order toderive revenue from players.

[0103] Data representing a casino's revenue may be, e.g., entered by therepresentative, calculated by the central computer or determinable fromexternal data sources (e.g. a hotel reservation system, computers ofstores or restaurants, credit card network computers).

[0104] Data relating to subsidies include, but are not limited toindications by a subsidizer (e.g., a subsidizer may request that aplayer perform a particular activity); and/or subsidies provided by asubsidizer. For example, a credit card company may pay a casino $50 if aplayer performs an activity of signing up for a new credit card. Inanother example, a magazine publisher may give a casino an 80% discounton magazines that are provided as benefits to players.

[0105] Data representing subsidies may be, e.g., stored in the offerdatabase and/or offer tracking database, entered by the representative,calculated by the central computer or determinable from external datasources (e.g. a hotel reservation system, computers of subsidizers).

[0106] Data relating to offers include, but are not limited to whetherthe player has completed an activity required by an offer that waspreviously made; the inventory of offers (e.g., in an embodiment whereonly a limited number of offers may be provided or accepted); offersthat have already been made to the player (e.g., as stored in the offertracking database shown in FIG. 9); offers that the player has acceptedor rejected; offers that have been made to other players (e.g., asstored in the offer tracking database shown in FIG. 9); the activity tobe performed by the player (e.g., the benefit may not be determineduntil after the player completes the activity. According to thisembodiment, the benefit may be based on how well the player performs theactivity); the benefit to be provided in an offer (e.g., the player maybe allowed to select what benefit he would like to earn—based on thisbenefit, the central computer may determine what activity the playershould perform to earn this benefit); and/or whether the player issuitable for a particular type of offer (e.g., if the offer is for a newcredit card, what is the player's credit limit? If the offer is for amagazine subscription, does the player already receive the magazine?).

[0107] Data representing offers may be, e.g., stored in the playerdatabase, offer database and/or offer tracking database, entered by therepresentative, calculated by the central computer or determinable fromexternal data sources (e.g. a hotel reservation system, computers ofsubsidizers).

[0108] According to one embodiment, an offer need not specify a benefit.In such an embodiment, a benefit may be determined based on the activityperformed, or how the activity was performed.

[0109] According to one embodiment, a representative may interact withthe central computer to assist in determining an offer. For example, arepresentative may use his PDA to communicate with the central computerand provide information useful in determining an offer. As anotherexample, the central computer may provide the hotel bill of a player toa representative, allowing the representative to more effectively forman offer for that player.

[0110] There may be advantages to having a representative assist inselecting an offer to present to a player. Even exceptionally designedcomputer systems are generally not as adept at interpreting playerpreferences, feelings, and moods as are people, especially certain typesof people. In general, a representative would be capable of more readilydetermining player preferences, feelings, and moods. Therefore, arepresentative, especially a well-trained representative, may be able toascertain or interpret information that an unaided central computercould not. Further, over time a representative who interacts with aplayer is capable of more thoroughly understanding the preferences ofthat player. Thus, in one embodiment representatives and the centralcomputer can advantageously cooperate to determine which offers toprovide to players.

[0111] According to one embodiment, the central computer may generate alist of potential offers and display these to the representative (e.g.,on the PDA of the representative). In one embodiment, the centralcomputer may generate a list of potential offers and transmit the listto the PDA of a representative. The representative may then select one(or more) of these potential offers and indicate the selected offer(s)with his PDA through any known manner. The selected offer(s) iscommunicated to the central computer. The representative may make theselected offer(s) to the player.

[0112] In one embodiment, the central computer may generate a first listof potential offers. Using the PDA, the representative may then form asecond list of potential offers by (i) proposing changes to the firstlist of potential offers, or (ii) selecting a new set of potentialoffers through any known manner. Information input by the representativeinto his PDA may then be transmitted back to the central computer andused to determine an offer or subsequent list of potential offers forfurther review by the representative. Accordingly, the representativemay be considered to command the central computer to present one or moreadditional lists of potential offers.

[0113] In one embodiment there may be a limited number of offers. Forexample, there may be offers for hotel rooms at a casino over theweekend, and only a limited number of rooms are available in this timeperiod. Further, a plurality of offers may be made by differentrepresentatives simultaneously. For example, each of a plurality ofrepresentatives may make an offer to a different respective player. Thecentral computer may display the same list of offers to all therepresentatives. Each representative in turn may select which offer(s)he would like to make to a player. If a first representative selects anoffer that has already been made by a second representative, the centralcomputer may prompt the first representative to select a differentoffer. The central computer may, at certain times, optionally provideupdated lists representing the currently available offers. For example,the central computer may provide representatives with an updated listevery ten minutes, or after each offer that is provided.

[0114] In one embodiment, the central computer may provide arepresentative with a list of potential offers and a list of players whomay be selected to receive offers. The representative in turn determinewhich of these offers to make to which of these players. For example,the representative may match an offer with a respective player. In oneembodiment, the central computer provides default suggestions of whichoffers should be made to which players, and the representative canaccept the suggestions or selectively override any or all suggestions,e.g., by matching offers and players.

[0115] The central computer may provide at least one potential offer toa representative. Certain offers benefit from additional information.For example, the offer may include a benefit or activity which isalready enjoyed by the player, and a duplicate of such a benefit oractivity would not be desirable to the player (e.g., an activity for theplayer to switch his long distance service to MCI, but the player mayalready use MCI). With such offers, it is advantageous to acquirefurther information (e.g., determine the long distance service of theplayer). The representative may be charged with determining suchinformation, e.g., by speaking with the player prior to making theoffer. If additional information reveals that the offer would not beappealing to the player (e.g., the player already uses MCI) then therepresentative may indicate to the central computer that a new offershould be selected for the player. The representative may furtherindicate the additional information (e.g., that the player uses MCI)using his PDA. The central computer may store this information in theplayer database to be used in formulating future offers to the player.

[0116] According to one embodiment, a representative may suggest offersor create new offers. For example, based on a conversation between arepresentative and a player, the representative may understand that theplayer enjoys roller coasters. The representative may use thisinformation to provide an offer to the player that includes a benefit oftickets to an amusement park. If there are no offers of the type desiredby the representative (e.g., there are no amusement park offers stored)then the representative may use his PDA to command or request that thecentral computer create such an offer.

[0117] The central computer may also request that a representativeprovide one or more suggestions of offers that may be appropriate for aparticular player. The representative may respond by indicating, e.g.,“offers that have activities that take less than five minutes” for aplayer that has demonstrated impatience, or “offers to earn benefits forcharities” for a player that has demonstrated altruism.

[0118] According to one embodiment, a representative may be prompted toobtain information from a player. This information may then be used bythe central computer to determine an appropriate offer for the player.For example, the central computer may store a list of questions (e.g.,in the offer database) that, when answered, provide information usefulin selecting or forming an offer that is more likely to be accepted.(e.g., “Are you staying at the casino tonight?” “Have you had lunchyet?” “Do you like boxing matches?”) One or more of such questions maybe transmitted to a representative's PDA, which displays the questionsand instructs the representative to ask the player the questions. Therepresentative may input the player's answers into the PDA, whichtransmits the answers to the central computer. These answers may then beused by the central computer to determine an appropriate offer for theplayer.

[0119] In one embodiment, a representative may inform a player that theplayer will receive an offer, but that the casino first requires moreinformation to determine which offer. Such a dialog may be, for example,“We'd like to provide a benefit to one of your friends. Are any of themhere at the casino today?”

[0120] In one embodiment, the PDA is in communication with a device(e.g., bar code reader, magnetic strip reader) capable of reading playertracking cards. A representative may use the PDA to scan a player'stracking card, thereby determining the identity of the player. Theidentify may be communicated to the central computer for use indetermining an offer. Similarly, other forms of identifying information,such as a driver's license and credit card, may be read.

[0121] In one embodiment, a bar code reader of the representative devicemay be used to receive visual machine-readable information from thedisplay of a gaming device. For example, a gaming device may display aone-dimensional bar code, two-dimensional bar code or graphical glyph,which can be read and interpreted by the bar code reader andrepresentative device. Such information encoded in visualmachine-readable form may comprise, e.g., information about the gamingsession on the gaming device, information identifying the player on thegaming device, information useful in determining offers, player decisioninformation, or any other information the gaming device may be capableof receiving or transmitting.

[0122] In one embodiment, the PDA is in communication with a recordingdevice (e.g., a microphone and an appropriate storage medium) capable ofrecording audio, graphical or video input. For example, a representativemay be instructed to start a conversation with a player, and record theconversation using the PDA and/or the recording device. Datarepresenting the audio (or other form of recorded data) would betransmitted to the central computer, which in turn employs voiceanalysis or other known image or signal processing techniques to, e.g.,estimate or determine the player's current mood. Such recordedinformation may also be used for purposes of verifying actions orstatements of representatives and offer recipients. For example, arecording may be used to demonstrate the precise offer that a player hadpreviously accepted.

[0123] According to one embodiment, a player may use a PDA to interactwith the central computer. For example, a representative may provide hisPDA to a player, who in turn uses the PDA to enter the names and addressof five of his friends. In another embodiment, a representative provideshis PDA to a player. The PDA runs a video game program. If the playerwins the video game, attains a desired score in the game or otherwiseattains a desired performance level in the game, then the player mayqualify to receive an offer. In another embodiment, a representativeprovides his PDA to a player, who in turn uses the PDA to browse a listof potential offers displayed by the PDA. The player may then selectwhich of the displayed offers he would like to receive. In oneembodiment, some or all of the data from a PDA, or data not shown on thePDA, may be shown on the display of a gaming device, allowing a playerto browse on the display of the gaming device or use what he sees on thedisplay to render a decision.

[0124] As described above, in exchange for a benefit, a player may berequired to perform or promise to perform an activity. Examples ofactivities include, but are not limited to applying for a new creditcard account; answering survey questions about a product or service;purchasing a product or service; using a product or service; testing aproduct (e.g., the representative brings a product to the player and hasthe player try, sample, or preview it. For example, the player might berequired to try a cup of coffee, take a sample issue of a magazine, orwear a new watch for an hour); selling a product or service; providing aproduct or service; providing information; viewing information;performing an action; telling a friend about a product or service;signing up for a magazine subscription; buying $20 worth of books fromAmazon.com; signing up for a warranty; receiving a new credit card;using a new long distance telephone provider; printing at least 100pages per week from an HP laser printer; receiving three free issues ofa magazine; providing legal advice, medical advice; donating an oldtelevision set; selling a used product on eBay; providing tax advice ata rate of $10 per hour; answering survey questions; providing productratings and reviews; indicating demographic information, purchasinginformation; watching a television commercial or other advertisement;listening to an audio tape about the health dangers of smokingcigarettes; reading a pamphlet that explains how to use a product;playing a game of chance or a game of skill; applying for a credit card;performing a repeated action (e.g. purchasing a product from a retailerat least once a month for the duration of an insurance policy,maintaining a balance on a credit card); performing acustomer-segmenting activity (i.e. an activity that allows a seller tosegment its customer base)—for example, a casino may segment its playerbase by asking a player to perform an activity over an extended periodof time (since some players will not have the time to perform suchactivities). Note that if a customer-segmenting activity has no value toa subsidizer, then there may not be a subsidizer; convincing anotherparty (e.g., another player) to perform one or more activities. Forexample, a first player may perform an activity of convincing three ofhis friends to sign up for magazine subscriptions; playing a game for adesignated period of time; playing a designated number of games (e.g.,two hundred handle pulls at a slot machine); placing a designated number(or dollar value) of bets; winning a designated number of games; winninga designated jackpot; winning a designated amount of money; playing adesignated game; playing a game at a designated gaming device; playing agame in a designated fashion (e.g., always make the maximum bet, alwayshit with a hand of ‘sixteen’ in blackjack); signing up for a playertracking card; and/or providing gaming-related information (e.g.,inserting a player tracking card, answering survey questions).

[0125] In many cases, performance of an activity by a player (or ofcourse any recipient of the offer) provides value to a subsidizer. Forexample, a credit card issuer may be willing to pay up to $50 inexchange for a customer applying for a new credit card account, sinceacquiring a new customer on average results in greater than $50 profitfor the credit card issuer.

[0126] Further, an activity may include an expiration condition.Examples include, but are not limited to an activity must be finished bya designated time (e.g., before 6 PM today); an activity must be startedbefore a designated event (e.g., before the end of a baseball game); anactivity must be performed before a designated occurrence (e.g., beforeanother player wins a jackpot of $100 or more); and/or an activity mustbe performed before a designated condition is true (e.g., while thereare at least four players playing particular gaming devices).

[0127] An activity may include a time-based requirement. Examplesinclude, but are not limited to an activity must be finished by adesignated time (e.g., before 6 PM tonight); an activity must be startedafter a designated event (e.g., after eating dinner); and/or an activitymust take place during a designated time period (e.g., between 4 AM and8 AM).

[0128] In addition, there may be restrictions as to how and where anactivity is performed. For example, an activity must be performed whilea player is at the casino.

[0129] A player may have to perform multiple activities in order toreceive a benefit. For example, a player may have to play one hundredhands of video blackjack today, and then eat lunch at the casino buffettomorrow. As another example, a player may have to perform a repeatedactivity (e.g., purchasing a product from a retailer at least once amonth for the duration of an insurance policy, maintaining apredetermined balance on a credit card).

[0130] According to one embodiment, a player's completion of an activitymay be based on activities of other players. For example, a player mayperform a competitive activity (i.e., an activity where success isdetermined relative to at least one other player), such as a player mayhave to win a hand of poker or win a slot machine tournament. As anotherexample, a player may perform a team activity (i.e., an activity whereplayers work together to accomplish a common goal). For example, all theplayers at a bank of slot machines may have to work together to increasea progressive jackpot to be greater than $10,000.

[0131] According to one embodiment, the player may have to perform oneof a plurality of activities. The player may select which activity toperform. For example, a player may be required to, at his discretion,elect to either (i) gamble continuously for the next hour or (ii) buy aticket to a boxing match. If the player performs either activity, thenhe will receive a benefit.

[0132] According to one embodiment, a player may receive help inperforming an activity. In this case, one or more other parties mayperform an activity in the place of the player. For example, a playermay be required to perform an activity of playing a slot machinecontinuously for four hours. The player may have three friends help himperform this activity—each person plays the slot machine for one hour,and then gives up his seat to the next person at the end of the hour sothe next person can maintain the continuous play of the slot machine.

[0133] As another example, a player may be required to perform anactivity of signing up for three magazine subscriptions. If the playerwishes to only receive two particular magazines but the player's friendalso wants a subscription, then together they meet the requirement bycollectively signing up for three magazine subscriptions. Accordinglythe player would receive the benefit.

[0134] As another example, a player may be required to perform anactivity of completing a Tae-Bo workout. This player doesn't enjoyTae-Bo, but his wife does. So the player's wife performs the activity ofcompleting the Tae-Bo workout. Accordingly the player would receive thebenefit.

[0135] Alternatively, with some offers it may not be permissible for aplayer to receive help in performing an activity.

[0136] According to one embodiment, it may be deemed acceptable for arequired activity to have been performed in the past. For example, aplayer may be required to perform an activity of placing at least $100worth of bets at video poker. If the player has already placed $150worth of bets at video poker, then this may constitute performance ofthe activity. It may be desirable to require the player to provideevidence of the previous performance (e.g., by providing a receipt, byinserting his player tracking card allowing his play history to beaccessed).

[0137] According to one embodiment, it may be permissible for a playerto make a forward commitment to perform an activity. According to oneembodiment, a forward commitment is an agreement to perform an activityin the future. For example, a player may be required to perform anactivity of test driving a Ford Escort in the future. The player mayagree to perform this activity in the future (e.g., once he returns homefrom visiting the casino). A benefit may be provided to the player uponthe player making a forward commitment to perform the activity in thefuture. In some embodiments, forward commitments may include time-basedrequirements and/or expiration conditions.

[0138] In one embodiment, a player may agree to accept a benefitcontingent on accepting a corresponding activity in the future. Forexample, a representative may offer a player $20 immediately if theplayer agrees to accept an offer for a magazine subscription in thefuture. Accordingly, the activity corresponding to the $20 benefit isnot specified or not completely specified to the player at the time theplayer accepts the benefit.

[0139] In one embodiment, a benefit may comprise funds which may not becashed out from a gaming device (or may not be cashed out before acertain time or event), but which must be used in wagers at a gamingdevice.

[0140] According to one embodiment, a forward commitment may bepenalty-secured such that a player will be penalized for not completingthe activity specified in the forward commitment. Such an embodiment canreduce the detrimental effects of cheating by the player. For example,if a forward commitment was not penalty secured, then a player maypromise to perform an activity, receive a corresponding benefit, butthen never perform the activity as promised. A player may be penalizedif the player does not perform a required activity by a specified date,or if it is determined that the player cannot perform the activity bythe specified date. For example, monetary penalties may be charged to aplayer's credit card, debit card, player account or other financialaccount. According to one embodiment, a player may be required toprovide an account identifier (e.g., a credit card account number) whensigning up for a penalty-secured forward commitment. Further, theaccount may be initially and/or periodically verified to assure that theaccount may be charged, and/or may be charged a predetermined amount.

[0141] As another example, products or services may be denied (e.g., theplayer may be barred from gambling at the casino). Penalties thatinvolve denial of products or services may be of a limited duration orpermanent.

[0142] As another example, the player may be required to perform one ormore additional activities, or provide other forms of consideration.

[0143] In exchange for performing an activity a player may receive abenefit. A variety of different benefits are possible, including, butnot limited to funds (e.g., money, credits redeemable at a gamingdevice); products (e.g., a souvenir watch, a sweatshirt, a magazinesubscription); services (e.g., a free meal, a haircut); discounts onproducts or services to be purchased or already purchased but to be paidfor (e.g., 50% off the list price of a hotel room); alternate currencies(e.g., comp points); an entry into a game of chance (e.g., a lotteryticket, a free spin on a slot machine); and/or other consideration.

[0144] Note that determining a benefit may, but need not, also includedetermining the value of the benefit.

[0145] Money may be provided to a player in a variety of different ways,including but not limited to as a single payment; as a set of payments(e.g., $100 a month for the next three months); in the form of a checkor cash; and/or by crediting a player's financial account (e.g., bankaccount, credit card account, casino player account).

[0146] According to one embodiment, a benefit may be provided to a partyassociated with the player (e.g., a friend of the player, a familymember, a charity). Although providing a benefit to, e.g., a player'sfavorite charity may not provide a tangible benefit to the player, theplayer might receive an intangible benefit (e.g., he may feel altruisticand good-hearted). Accordingly, benefits to friends of players may beparticularly motivational for a player. According to one embodiment, abenefit provided to a friend of a player may be contingent on the friendperforming one or more activities. For example, a player's friend may beasked to perform an activity in order to receive a benefit.

[0147] Rather than displaying the offer directly to the player, theoffer may be displayed to a representative (e.g., via a representativedevice). This representative may then present the offer to the player inan appropriate manner.

[0148] According to one embodiment, the central computer determines(also referred to as identifying) which representative should make theoffer. Methods of determining a representative are analogous to thosedescribed herein for determining an offer (e.g., the central computermay use a rules-based system, a pseudo-random system). The centralcomputer may consider a variety of factors when identifying arepresentative, including characteristics of representatives,characteristics of the player and/or factors relating to offers.

[0149] Examples of characteristics of representatives include (i)activities of representatives (e.g., which representative is currentlyavailable?); (ii) skills of representatives (e.g., selling skills,language skills, knowledge of products described in the offer) forexample, if the player only speaks Spanish, then the central computermay be careful to select a representative that also speaks Spanish;(iii) responsibilities of representatives (e.g., waiting to greetplayers at the door, keeping the gaming devices clean, serving drinks),some of which may take precedence over making offers to players; (iv)commissions paid to representatives (e.g., which representative deservesan opportunity to earn additional commissions?) ; (v) locations ofrepresentatives (e.g., which representative is closest to the player?);(vi) preferences of representatives (e.g., certain representatives mayprefer to make certain types of offers); and/or (vii) other measures ofcompatibility with the player (e.g., age, hobbies, interests).

[0150] Examples of characteristics of the player include the player'spreferences (e.g. hobbies, interests); what language the player speaks;the player's offer history—offers that have been made to this player inthe past (e.g., by this representative or other representatives);location of the player (e.g., proximity to representatives); currentactivities being performed by the player (e.g., waiting in line for amusical show); and/or information stored in the player database.

[0151] Examples of factors relating to offers include offers that havebeen made to this player in the past (e.g., by this representative orother representatives); offers that have been made to other players(e.g., similar players); the activity to be performed in the offer(e.g., select the representative who can best explain how to perform theactivity); the benefit to be provided in the offer (e.g., select therepresentative who can most easily provide the benefit); and/or thelength of the offer (e.g., how long will it take to complete). Forexample, it may be inappropriate to assign a busy representative to makean offer that typically takes five minutes to complete.

[0152] According to one embodiment, a representative identifies himself.For example, the central computer may send out a prompt to a pluralityof representatives, inquiring “Who wants to make this offer?” Therepresentative who responds first (e.g., by pressing a button on hisPDA) gets to make the offer. As described herein, a representative mayhave identified a player to receive an offer. When identifying theplayer, the representative may also identify himself as therepresentative to make the offer to the player (e.g., “I want to make anoffer to this player.”).

[0153] According to one embodiment, a representative may be identifiedby at least one other representative. Examples include a firstrepresentative may have identified a player to receive an offer. Whenidentifying the player, the first representative may identify a secondrepresentative to make the offer to the player (e.g., “I think we shouldhave Bob make an offer to this player.”). As another example,representatives may vote on who gets to make an offer. For example, thecentral computer may determine that a high roller player should receivean offer and then prompt a group of representatives to choose amongthemselves who gets to make the offer to the high roller player.

[0154] According to one embodiment, the player may identify arepresentative to make the offer. For example, a player may indicate, “Iwant to get an offer from Jeff (the representative in the gorillasuit).” According to one embodiment, a friend of the player may identifya representative to make the offer. For example, a friend of a playermay indicate, “I want Jane (representative #34) to make an offer to myfriend Andy.”

[0155] Where a person (e.g., a player, a representative) identifies arepresentative to make an offer, the representative may be identified byproviding substantially unique information about the representative.Examples include the representative's name; the representative's badgenumber or identification number (e.g., in an embodiment whererepresentatives are assigned numbers by the casino); therepresentative's physical appearance (e.g., the representative dressedin a gorilla suit); and/or methods analogous to those used byrepresentatives for identifying players.

[0156] Typically, an offer will be displayed to a representative usingthe representative's PDA. Different types of PDAs are discussed indetail herein. The term “display” is used for convenience and may alsorefer to other ways that an offer may be output to a representative andperceived by the representative. Examples of a PDA displayinginformation to a representative include an LCD screen on a notebookcomputer displays textual information about an offer; an earphonewalkie-talkie plays an audio prompt describing an offer; and/or aBraille computer monitor/touch pad displays textual information to ablind representative.

[0157] According to one embodiment, an indication of a player may beoutput to a representative using a representative device. For example, arepresentative device may display the name and location of player towhom a representative should present an offer. Examples of indicationsof a player include the player's name, the player's identificationnumber (e.g., from a tracking card), a contact identifier for the player(e.g., the player's cell phone number, email address, credit cardnumber, hotel room, or postal address), a slot machine that is beingoperated by the player (e.g., the player at slot machine #25), theplayer's location (e.g., a representative device may display thelocation of the player in a casino and representative may visit thislocation to find the player and present an offer to the player),indicating a sufficient number of characteristics of the player toidentify him relative to other players in the area. (e.g., male, grayhair, slightly balding, mustache, wearing a red and white Hawaiian-printshirt, smoking cigar, drinking margarita), indicating an activity beingperformed by the player (e.g., the player operating the ATM machine),indicating a biometric of the player (e.g., a photograph of the player).A player may be indicated to a representative using a combination ofdifferent methods. For example, a representative device may direct arepresentative to present an offer to “Tom Jones, the red-haired playerat the Wheel of Riches slot machine.”

[0158] According to one embodiment, an indication of a plurality ofplayers may be output to a representative using a representative device.For example, a representative may be prompted to present offers to allplayers at a group of slot machines, or any player at a bank of videopoker machines. Note that identifying a group of players may includeidentifying a location of the group or identifying at least one playerin the group. This embodiment may be particularly helpful when there area large number of players in an area of a casino, when a plurality ofplayers are selected to receive offers, or when an offer is to bepresented to a plurality of players (e.g., for a team activity).

[0159] According to one embodiment, a representative device may displayinformation relating to at least one player. This information may beuseful in assisting a representative in presenting an offer to a player,convincing a player to accept an offer, determining a player to whom anoffer should be presented, or determining an offer to present to aplayer. For example, a representative device may display informationabout a player's gaming activities (e.g., comp points), characteristicsof a player (e.g., occupation, hobbies, interests, languages spoken),information about a player's visit to a casino (e.g., hotel stay,purchasing history), or other information stored in a player database.

[0160] According to one embodiment, different casino reps may havedifferent levels of access to information that may be displayed througha representative device. For example, a low-level representative mayonly be allowed to display information about a player's gamingactivities and previously accepted offers, whereas a higher-level (e.g.,better trained) representative may also have access to information abouta player's purchasing history and hotel stay.

[0161] According to one embodiment, displaying an offer to arepresentative is an interactive process, described in detail herein.

[0162] According to one embodiment, an offer may be displayed tomultiple representatives. For example, multiple representatives maycoordinate to make an offer to a player. As another example, there maybe a queue of offers to be made, and all representatives are able toview the queue via their representative devices. Whenever arepresentative is free, he makes the next offer on the queue to theappropriate player.

[0163] An offer may be presented privately to a representative. Forexample, it may be desirable to ensure that no other parties (e.g.,players) are able to view an offer that is presented to arepresentative. For example, a representative may use headphones tolisten to an offer.

[0164] In one embodiment, a representative may have a security levelthat defines which types of information he may or may not receive.Accordingly, the representative may have to log in using therepresentative device and thereby make his security level known. Therepresentative may alternatively or additionally have to use aparticular representative device (or one of a set of particularrepresentative devices) that restricts access to the appropriate typesof information.

[0165] An offer may be presented publicly to a representative. Forexample, an offer may be displayed on a large projection television thatis viewable by everyone in the sports book section of a casino. Therepresentative may show this offer to the identified player and explainit to him.

[0166] According to one embodiment, the entire offer may not bedisplayed to the representative. Instead, a representative's PDA mayjust display enough partial information about the offer. For example, arepresentative's PDA may display an offer identifier (e.g., offer #3).In this example the representative may have memorized that offer #3corresponds to offering the player 200 credits if he agrees to sign upfor a new credit card.

[0167] In another embodiment, an offer may be ambiguous, allowing therepresentative to determine at least one portion of the offer on hisown. (e.g., “Offer the player some credits for switching to MCI”) Arepresentative's PDA may also just prompt him to “Make an offer (anyoffer) to the player”.

[0168] In another embodiment, an offer may be expressed in shorthand ofsome sort. For example, a representative may be able to interpret themessage, “Activity: credit card, Benefit: Meal” means that therepresentative should make the following offer to the player, “Goodafternoon, Mr. Rogers, and welcome to the Lucky Dice Casino. I hope yourday is going well, and I'd like to make you a special offer. I've beenauthorized to give you a free meal ticket for two to eat at the CoffeeShop, located here in the casino. They're having a special today onprime rib, and beers are always just $1. All you have to do to qualifyfor this offer is to sign up for a new credit card from Blue Bank. Ifyou're interested, I can process your credit card application right now.Would you like to accept this offer for a new credit card and a freemeal at the Coffee Shop?”

[0169] In another embodiment, a representative may have freedom todetermine how an offer is made to a player. For example, arepresentative may be allowed to choose his own words when making anoffer to a player.

[0170] Upon viewing the offer on his PDA, the representative may thenpresent the offer to the player. This may be done by approaching theplayer and speaking with him. The player is then given an opportunity toaccept the offer or reject the offer.

[0171] According to various embodiments of the invention, a player mayindicate his acceptance or rejection of an offer in a variety ofdifferent ways, including but not limited to speaking to therepresentative (e.g., “Yes”, “I accept”, or “No”); performing theactivity described in the offer (e.g., answering survey questions);accepting the benefit described in the offer (e.g., 200 free credits);and/or operating an input device (e.g., associated with a gaming deviceor a PDA). For example, a representative may hand his PDA to a player sothat the player can read over the terms of an offer and then press the“I accept” button on the PDA. In a second example, a video poker machinebeing operated by a player may display the terms of an offer along withan “I accept” touch-screen button.

[0172] If the player accepts the offer, then he agrees to perform theactivity specified in the offer in exchange for receiving the benefitspecified in the offer. According to one embodiment, an accepted offermay comprise an agreement or contract between the player and the casino.

[0173] According to one embodiment, the representative may use his PDAto indicate whether the player accepted or rejected the offer (e.g., byoperating a keypad or touch screen).

[0174] Information about the player's acceptance or rejection of anoffer may be transmitted to the central computer and stored in the offertracking database.

[0175] According to one embodiment, the acceptance or rejection of anoffer may comprise a trigger (described herein), prompting the centralcomputer to determine a second offer that should be made to the player.This second offer may then be displayed to the representative or playerthrough the PDA.

[0176] According to one embodiment, the player may have an opportunityto request additional information about an offer. In this case, therepresentative may use his PDA to access additional information aboutthe offer (e.g., details as to exactly what activity must be performed,the conditions under which the benefit will be provided, etc.). Thisadditional information may be stored in the offer database by thecentral computer.

[0177] According to one embodiment, an input device (e.g., associatedwith the representative's PDA or a nearby gaming device) may be used tomonitor the presentation of the offer. The recording of therepresentative presenting the offer and the player's response may thenbe viewed by a casino manager or by a voice recognition module in thecentral computer. Monitoring the presentation of an offer may be usefulfor various reasons, including verifying that the representativepresented the offer correctly; determining what offer was presented andhow the offer was presented (e.g., in an embodiment where therepresentative is permitted to choose his own words when presenting theoffer to the player); determining the player's reaction to the offer(e.g., happiness, ambivalence, confusion); and/or determining theplayer's response to the offer (e.g., accepted, rejected, ignored).

[0178] According to one embodiment, an indication of the offer may besent to at least one friend of the player. Knowing that his friend isaware of an offer may provide additional motivation for the player tocomplete an activity described in an offer. For example, the centralcomputer may prompt a casino employee to telephone a player's friend andtell him, “Your friend John has the opportunity to win $50 for you byplaying slot machines at a casino.” Alternatively, the central computermay email all of a player's friends (e.g., including friends who are noteligible to win benefits) and tell them that a player has accepted orrejected an offer.

[0179] According to one embodiment, the central computer may determinewhether a player has performed an activity designated by an offer. Thismay be helpful when determining whether to provide a benefit to theplayer (since this benefit will typically not be provided if a playerfails to perform the activity).

[0180] The method of determining whether an activity is performed isoften dependent on the type of activity that a player has been promptedto perform. For example, if a player is prompted to perform an activityof making one hundred handle pulls at a slot machine, then the centralcomputer may monitor the number of handle pulls that the player has madeat the slot machine. The central computer may determine whether anactivity has been performed in a variety of manners, including but notlimited to receiving information from a representative (e.g., arepresentative may indicate that a player has filled out an applicationfor a new credit card or agreed to purchase a magazine subscription);receiving information from the player (e.g., when a player performs anactivity of making a forward commitment to test drive an automobile);receiving information from one more other computer systems (e.g., if aplayer is required to perform an activity of signing up for a new creditcard, then the central computer may receive information from a creditbureau); monitoring a player's activities at one or more gaming devices(e.g., by communicating with a gaming device through a communicationnetwork); storing data regarding a player's gaming activities (e.g., inthe player database shown in FIG. 5); receiving information from one ormore gaming devices; receiving information from one or more devices(e.g., camera, recording device, sensor) placed (e.g., by arepresentative) on or near a gaming device; receiving information fromone or more point-of-sale terminals (e.g., for activities in which theplayer is required to purchase a product or service); and/or monitoringconditions related to the activity (e.g., monitoring the current time ifthe activity has an expiration date).

[0181] In one embodiment, the activity to be performed by a playercomprises making an agreement or forward commitment (e.g., agreeing topurchase a product or service). In this case, the player may completethe activity just by making the agreement, and have the benefit providedto him almost immediately.

[0182] According to one embodiment, a player may use an authenticationcode to prove that he performed one or more activities. Thisauthentication code may be an alphanumeric code, password, or otherinformation that provides the central computer with a reasonableassurance that the player performed one or more activities as required.According to one embodiment, an authentication code is produced using acryptographic algorithm (e.g., a cryptographic hash function).Typically, an authentication code is generated by a device that has theability to determine whether a player performed an activity. Forexample, a gaming device may output an authentication code indicatingthat a player made one hundred handle pulls at that gaming device. Anauthentication code may be output using an output device (e.g. aprinter, a video monitor).

[0183] In one embodiment, a representative's PDA is not connected to thecentral computer using a communication network. In this embodiment, therepresentative offers a player a free meal at the casino buffet if heanswers twenty survey questions. The player agrees to the offer andanswers the survey questions. The representative then uses his PDA toprint out an authentication code on a paper receipt and gives thisreceipt to the player. The player may then take this receipt to thecasino buffet and request that he receive the free meal. A hostess atthe casino buffet may then use a device to determine if theauthentication code on the receipt is valid, indicating that the playerdid in fact answer the survey questions. Since the authentication codeis valid, the player is allowed to eat at the casino buffet for free.

[0184] According to one embodiment, the central computer may haveincomplete information as to whether a player performed an activity. Forexample, a dealer at a casino may be responsible for verifying that aplayer has gambled at least $300 at blackjack, but the dealer may forgetto perform this job. In this case, the central computer may resolve thissituation in a variety of different ways, including assuming that theplayer did in fact complete the activity and provide the benefit to him;assuming that the player did not complete the activity and not providethe benefit to him; providing a reduced or alternative benefit to theplayer; offering to allow the player to perform a second activity toearn the benefit; and/or asking other employees (or even other players)whether the activity was completed.

[0185] According to one embodiment, a player may be reminded of an offerwhile performing an activity. For example, a video screen on a gamingdevice may display a message to the player telling him how much longerhe has to gamble before he earns a benefit. Alternatively, an animatedcharacter in a video game may remind the player that if he continues toplay the game well, he may be able to win a benefit. In anotherembodiment, a representative may remind the player.

[0186] The representative may have several interactions with a player inthe context of a single offer. For example, a representative mayapproach a player a first time with an offer, and the player may refuseor not immediately accept the offer. The representative may accordinglybe instructed by the representative device to return one or more timesto interact with the player. Alternatively, the representative devicemay maintain an indication of the need to return to the player (e.g., amap of the casino floor with a flashing dot to indicate slot machine #29where the player was).

[0187] According to one embodiment, the central computer may indicate tothe player whether or not he has performed an activity. For example, agaming device operated by the player may display a text message, “Nicework! You just won a subscription to People magazine.” In anotherembodiment, a light on top of a video poker machine may flash and anaudio speaker may proclaim to a player, “Whoops! You just missed youropportunity to earn 100 comp points.” In another embodiment, a videomonitor on a gaming device may display a message, “You're not done yet!If you play one hundred more handle pulls at this gaming device, thenyou'll win a pair of tickets to Wrestlemania.”

[0188] According to one embodiment, a subsidizer may provide a subsidyrelated to a player's performance of an activity. Such a subsidy may beprovided because an activity has value to the subsidizer. For example, asubsidizer may derive value from a customer signing up for a new creditcard (the issuing bank may be a subsidizer), viewing an advertisement(the advertiser may be a subsidizer), or getting three friends toregister with a website (the website may be a subsidizer).

[0189] According to one embodiment, a subsidizer provides a subsidy tothe casino. Examples of subsidies that may be provided to the casinoinclude payments (e.g., in money or an alternate currency like frequentflyer miles), products, services, and other forms of consideration.

[0190] A subsidy may be provided at various different times includingbefore, after or substantially simultaneously with an activity performedby a player. Subsidies may be provided en mass. For example, asubsidizer may pay a casino $10,000 to have players view 100,000 hoursof advertisements.

[0191] Further, subsidy values may be based on a variety of factors,including those used in determining an offer, as described herein.

[0192] According to one embodiment, a subsidizer provides a subsidydirectly to a player. In this case, the subsidy benefit may beequivalent to, or in addition to a benefit that is provided to theplayer. The subsidy may also take the form of paying all or part of thecommission for a representative.

[0193] According to one embodiment, the central computer may communicatewith a subsidizer device to determine information about subsidies. Forexample, the central computer may negotiate with merchants to developcross subsidy offers, develop the language of the offers and associatedgraphics, and handle back office billing and penalties associated withthe offers. In addition, the central computer may store informationabout subsidizers in a subsidizer database (not shown).

[0194] According to one embodiment, if a player performs an activityspecified in an offer, then that player may receive a benefit. Accordingto one embodiment, a benefit provided to a player may be determinedbased on the activity performed. For example, the benefit may be basedon what activity is performed. For example, a player may be given achoice of gambling for three hours at a slot machine or gambling forthree hours at a video poker machine. If the player gambles for threehours at the slot machine, then he earns tickets to a musical. If theplayer gambles for three hours at a video poker machine, then he earnstickets to a boxing match.

[0195] The benefit may also be based on how well an activity isperformed. For example, a player may be given the opportunity to earnfive comp points for every survey question he answers. If the playeranswers twelve survey questions, then he earns sixty comp points.

[0196] Note that a benefit may be provided by a variety of differentparties, including the central computer (e.g., by crediting a player'sfinancial account); the casino (e.g., a casino employee may mail acheck); the representative (e.g., the representative may give a player500 credits); and/or another party (e.g., a subsidizer, a productmanufacturer, a service provider).

[0197] According to one embodiment, a representative may provide abenefit to a player using a PDA. For example, in an embodiment in whichgaming devices are not networked, a player may perform an activity andearn a benefit of two hundred credits on the gaming device that he iscurrently operating. In order to provide this benefit to the player, arepresentative may first use a serial cable to connect his PDA to thegaming device. Then the representative may use his PDA to transmit anencrypted message to the gaming device, causing the gaming device to addfive hundred credits to the player's balance. (A potential security riskmay exist in providing a benefit in this way. However, there may also bea value in having players see a representative use his PDA to “unlock” abenefit in a gaming device or cause coins/tokens to fall into the cointray of a gaming device.)

[0198] In an environment where the gaming devices are networked, therepresentative could provide a benefit to a player by providing him witha cashless gaming voucher that can be entered into the player's gamingdevice to increase the player's credit balance. Alternatively, therepresentative could swipe a card having a magnetic strip through a cardreader on the gaming device in order to unlock a benefit, or to put thegaming device into a different payout mode in which top jackpots aredoubled, for example.

[0199] While the above methods of providing benefits to a player mayresult from the acceptance by a player of one or more offers, it shouldalso be noted that the casino may provide benefits to players withoutthe requirement that they accept an offer. For example, a premiumcustomer on the floor who has been playing for more than two hours maytrigger a message to appear on the representative's PDA indicating thathe should walk up to the player and thank him for his play, or provide acomp such as a free dinner or show. The representative could alsoprovide a benefit as described above by using the PDA to unlock abenefit in the machine. The prompt displayed to the representative mightbe something like “go to machine #3419 and wish Mary Jones a happybirthday.”

[0200] According to one embodiment, a player may not perform theactivity specified in an offer. The central computer may respond to thisoccurrence in at least one of a variety of ways, including not providingthe benefit to the player; providing a reduced or alternative benefit tothe player; offering to allow the player to perform a second activity toearn the benefit; and/or not providing offers in the future to thatplayer.

[0201] According to one embodiment, a player may be penalized if he doesnot perform an activity specified in an offer. For example, the centralcomputer may output an offer to the player in which the player gets $15if he pulls the handle of a slot machine one hundred times. However, ifthe player accepts this offer and does not spin the slot reel onehundred times, then the player will be penalized $15. Similarly, aplayer's performance of an activity may be penalty-secured, as describedherein.

[0202] Commissions for Representatives

[0203] By compensating representatives for performing actions relatingto offers, they may be more motivated to perform their jobs well.

[0204] In one embodiment, a representative may receive a commission forperforming one or more actions, typically actions which are related toan offer. One possible action includes making an offer to a player. Forexample, a representative may get 200 points each time he makes an offerto a player. In one embodiment, a representative may get $5 each time heconvinces a player to accept an offer.

[0205] In addition, a representative may receive compensation accordingto how these actions are performed. For example, a representative mayreceive 10 points for conforming exactly to the wording in a prompt, butwill receive only 7 points if he paraphrases a prompt. The centralcomputer may determine various information about an upsell. The centralcomputer may determine whether a representative made an offer to aplayer and whether the offer was spoken correctly.

[0206] In one embodiment of the invention, the central computer may haveaccess to a clock useful for determining the time taken to make anoffer. For example, the central computer may determine how long it takesa representative to make an offer to a player. This information may beuseful in determining compensations for representatives.

[0207] Representatives may be paid according to any of a wide variety ofcommission schemes. Many commission schemes are possible. For example,representatives may receive commission based upon various measurementsof their performance or actions that they perform (e.g. A representativeis paid $5 for each offer that he makes that is accepted by a player).The commissions paid to a representative may increase as morecommissions are paid out (e.g. A representative receives $2 forcompleting his first offer, $3 for his second offer, $4 for his thirdoffer). A representative may be paid according to the performance of hisentire team (e.g. every representative in the video poker room gets paid$5 when any one of them completes an offer). A team commission schememay encourage representatives to work in teams to provide betterservice. In one embodiment, a representative is paid according to hisperformance relative to other representatives. For example,representatives may be in competition to receive a prize: whoever hasthe most accepted offers on a given day wins the daily commission pot.

[0208] In one embodiment, the commission paid to a representativevaries. For example, on Tuesdays, a representative gets $2 for eachaccepted offer, but on Saturdays the representative gets $1.25 for eachaccepted offer. A dynamic commission scheme may help to offset theeffects of peak gaming hours, or prevent a representative from becominghabituated to only making a particular type of offer to a particulartype of player.

[0209] The commission may be based on the profit generated by theaction. For example, a representative may use his PDA to view a benefitthat could be provided to a player and a list of activities that theplayer could perform. If the representative is successful in convincingthe player to perform one of the activities, then the commission paid tothe representative may be proportional to the value of the activity.That is, the representative may get a larger commission if he convincesthe player to perform a high value activity.

[0210] Representatives may be paid commissions which reflect thedowntime of those working under them.

[0211] In addition to the above methods of calculating commissions,commissions may be paid in many possible manners. For example,commissions may be paid at the end of the week as part of a paycheck,credited to an account (e.g. automatically credited to a specifiedfinancial account such as a bank account or credit card balance); paidthrough a coupon mechanism (e.g. a receipt, coupon, or check indicatinghis fulfillment of the prompt); paid in increments (e.g. $20 total at arate of $5 per week for the next four weeks); and/or obtained by therepresentative (e.g. $1 taken out of the cash register, a free hamburgerat the end of a shift).

[0212] Commissions may be provided to representatives in the form ofalternate currency, such as points. That is, representatives areallocated a certain number of points for each offer. This may be done toprevent representatives from becoming discouraged by low incrementalcommissions (e.g. a representative may find it more appealing to receivetwo hundred points rather than twenty cents). Points may be accumulatedover time. The various commission schemes and methods of payment usedfor monetary compensation are also applicable to points systems.

[0213] In one embodiment, representatives are able to convert points tomoney, merchandise, or services. For example, a representative may beable to trade 10,000 points for a new jacket. Each representative may begiven a catalog of merchandise that can be purchased using points. Also,a commission scheme that uses points may be appealing to employersbecause it can help to encourage representatives to spend theircommissions in certain ways. For example, representatives may be giventhe option of trading 1000 points for a free movie pass. (Note that amovie theater may be willing to subsidize this use of points.)

[0214] Points are only one way that representatives may receivecompensation in the form of goods and services. Goods and services mayalso be provided independent of a points system. For example, arepresentative may receive a two-hour lunch break in exchange forcompleting a particularly valuable offer. Likewise, a representative whomakes 1,000 successful offers may be entered into a lottery to win afree trip to Hawaii. Alternatively, representatives may be rewarded withcoupons or other discounts on goods and services. Of course,compensation in the form of goods and services may employ any of thevarious payment options and commission schemes described earlier.

[0215] In addition, different representatives may receive differentcommissions for performing the same action, thereby providing greatercommissions or personalized commissions to certain representatives. Forexample, a representative who is new to the job may receive greatercommissions for making offers to certain types of players, therebyconditioning him to approach these players more often. A representativewho enjoys basketball may receive personalized commissions by earningpoints towards a new pair of basketball shoes. Another representativemay prefer to receive commissions in the form of cash rather thanpoints. In one embodiment, representatives may be permitted to selecttheir own form of personalized commissions.

[0216] According to one embodiment of the invention, the centralcomputer uses performance feedback to determine commissions provided torepresentatives. The central computer may determine or receiveinformation relating to the success of certain commission schemes, andthen use this information to determine how to best compensaterepresentatives in the future. For example, the central computer may usethe same commission scheme for all representatives: each representativereceives five cents for making an offer to a player. PDAs carried byrepresentatives may then provide information to the central computerrelating to the number of offers that have been accepted. In thisexample, only 20% of the offers have been accepted, so the centralcomputer modifies the commission scheme so that representatives nowreceive ten cents for each time that they make an offer to a player.

[0217] Modifying commission, as discussed herein, is different frommodifying methods of displaying commission information.

[0218] Prompt recognition and payment of sales commissions helps tomotivate salesmen and other representatives. If representatives have towait less time to receive their commissions, the rewards for goodbehavior are more immediate and thus more easily perceived. This helpsto make commissions more appealing to representatives, which in turnmotivates these representatives to sell more items.

[0219] One particularly interesting aspect of embodiments of theinvention is that PDAs carried by representatives may be used to displayinformation about commissions that may be provided to therepresentatives. This can help motivate representatives to make moreoffers, be more enthusiastic about making offers, and be more successfulin convincing players to accept offers.

[0220] There are a number of different ways of displaying informationabout commissions. Any display strategy or combination thereof may beused with any type of commission described. For example, it is possibleto output incremental information about a future commission graphicallyin the form of a prompt. Similarly, a representative may receiveinformation about both his incremental commission and his cumulativecommission.

[0221] Information about commission may be output privately so that onlya single representative or a specific group of representatives may viewthe commission information that is output. For example, commissioninformation may be displayed to an employee on his PDA. Outputtingcommission information privately to a group of representatives may beparticularly applicable when a team-based commission scheme is used.

[0222] Output devices may present commission information publicly. Forexample, a public announcement (PA) system may be used to outputcommission information to a group of people. Such commission informationmight describe how a certain representative has achieved his monthlygoal of three thousand accepted offers. As another example, a videomonitor visible to all representatives may display the cumulativecommissions of different representatives relative to each other.

[0223] In one embodiment of the invention, commission information isdescribed to representatives in incremental terms. In other words, theinformation that is output describes increments of compensation asopposed to cumulative commissions. Possible increments of compensationinclude the amount of commission earned for successfully completing aparticular offer, the amount of commission earned for making aparticular offer, and/or the amount of commission earned for a specificaction.

[0224] Outputting information about incremental commissions may beparticularly motivational to representatives because it may help tofocus a representative's attention on the action necessary to earn eachincremental commission.

[0225] Information about an incremental commission may be output afterthe compensation is provided. For example, after each accepted offer, arepresentative's PDA may display the number of points that therepresentative earned for making that offer.

[0226] Information about an incremental commission may be output beforethe compensation is provided. For example, a PDA may indicate to arepresentative that he should offer a player a trial magazinesubscription and that he will receive 10 points for making this offer.

[0227] Information about an incremental commission may be output as partof a prompt. For example, a PDA may display a prompt to arepresentative, wherein this prompt includes both an offer and acommission. If the representative makes the offer, then therepresentative will receive the commission described in the prompt.

[0228] Information about an incremental commission may be outputrelative to a goal. For example, a video screen on a representative'sPDA may display to him that he just moved ten points closer to his goalof winning free movie tickets.

[0229] Commission information may be output incrementally relative toother representatives. For example, Andy's PDA may display to him thathe just moved fifteen points closer to Bob, who is the representativewith the most cumulative points.

[0230] In one embodiment of the invention, commission information isdescribed to representatives in cumulative terms. That is, theinformation that is output describes the total amount of commissionsthat have been earned over a given period. In one embodiment, thiscumulative commission is the sum of multiple incremental commissions.Examples of cumulative commissions include the amount of commissionearned during a certain period of time, the amount of commission earnedduring a certain number of attempted offers, and/or the amount ofcompensation earned by a group of representatives.

[0231] Information about cumulative commission may be output after acommission is provided. For example, after each accepted offer, arepresentative's PDA may display the number of points that he has earnedduring the last week.

[0232] Information about cumulative commissions may be output before thecommission is provided. For example, representative's PDA may indicateto the representative that he should make a particular offer to a playerand that the representative will have three hundred points total aftermaking this offer.

[0233] Information about cumulative commissions may be output as part ofa prompt. For example, a representative's PDA may display a prompt tothe representative, wherein this prompt includes both an offer to bemade and a cumulative commission value. If the representative succeedsin convincing a player to accept the offer, then the representative'stotal amount of commissions will be set to the value described in theprompt.

[0234] Information about a cumulative commission may be output relativeto a goal. For example, a video screen may display to a representativethat he needs only one hundred fifty more points to win a free pair ofmovie tickets. Such information may be displayed textually (e.g. “Youneed 150 points”) or graphically (e.g. a pie chart showing whatpercentage of the points for the movie tickets have been earned).

[0235] Information about cumulative commissions may be output relativeto other representatives. For example, a video monitor in the employeelounge may display that Andy is only fifteen points behind Bob, who isthe representative with the most cumulative points for the month.Similarly, the video monitor in the employee lounge may display thatAndy has 1230 points and Bob has 1245 points.

[0236] Commission may also be output relative to a goal. In oneembodiment, a goal is described as a cumulative amount of commissions.For example, a representative may have a goal of earning 3000 points.However, other goals are also possible, including a cumulative amount ofcommissions over time (e.g. 500 points in the next hour), a cumulativeamount of commission over a number of attempted offers (e.g. 500 pointsin the next 50 attempted offers), and/or a cumulative function ofcommission (e.g. an average of 10 points per offer).

[0237] In one embodiment, representatives earn commissions in the formof points. These points are a form of alternate currency, which may beexchanged for prizes like movie tickets, food, clothing, or sportinggoods. Commission information may be output to a representative relativeto one of these prizes. For example, an earphone may tell arepresentative, “You only need 65 more points to win a new pair ofbasketball shoes.”

[0238] In one embodiment, a representative is permitted to select hisown goal. For example, a representative may indicate that he wants toearn a $100 bonus or that he hopes to earn the 5000 points necessary towin a new set of golf clubs. In this case, commission may be displayedrelative to the goal selected by the representative.

[0239] Commissions relative to a goal may be described in increments.For example, a representative may be told, “By completing that offer,you just earned 10 points towards a free round of golf.”

[0240] Commissions relative to a goal may be described cumulatively. Forexample, a representative may be told, “You need just 30 more points towin the representative of the month award.”

[0241] Commissions relative to a goal may be described using acumulative function. For example, a representative may be told, “Onaverage, you need to complete 10 more offers per hour in order to win anew skateboard before Christmas.”

[0242] Past commissions may be output relative to a goal. For example, arepresentative may be told, “Over the last week, you earned 50 pointsless than you needed to win the representative of the month award.”

[0243] Future commissions may be output relative to a goal. For example,a representative may be told, “If you average 10 offers per hour for therest of this shift, then you'll win a $20 pre-paid calling card.”

[0244] A prompt may include commissions relative to a goal. For example,a representative may be told, “Offer this player 50 credits if he agreesto eat dinner at the casino buffet. If he accepts, you'll need just 20more points to earn a plaque of recognition.”

[0245] Commissions may also be output relative to other representativesor other groups of representatives. In one embodiment, this may foster aspirit of competition between representatives, thereby motivating themto work harder in the hope of besting their fellow representatives. Forexample, Andy and Bob may be rival representatives, and Andy may be verymotivated to see that he has 500 more points than Bob.

[0246] Commissions relative to other representatives may be described inincremental terms. For example, a representative's PDA may displayinformation indicating that the representative will move five pointsahead of Bob if he completes a certain offer.

[0247] Commissions relative to other representatives may be described incumulative terms. For example, a video monitor in the employee loungemay display that Andy is only fifteen points behind Bob, who is therepresentative with the most cumulative points for the month. Similarly,the video monitor in the employee lounge may display that Andy has 1230points and Bob has 1245 points.

[0248] Commissions relative to other representatives may be described interms of a cumulative function of commission. For example, arepresentative's PDA may display the text, “If you average 10 points perhour for the next 2 days, then you will have more points than Bob.”Similarly, a representative may be told that his average number ofaccepted offers per hour is 10% better than Bob's average number ofaccepted offers per hour.

[0249] Past commissions may be output relative to other representatives.For example, a representative's PDA may display the text, “You have 15points less than Bob has.”

[0250] Future commissions may be output relative to otherrepresentatives. For example, a representative's PDA may display thetext, “If you complete this offer, then you'll have 15 points less thanBob has.”

[0251] Commissions relative to other representatives may be included ina prompt. For example, a representative's PDA may display the text,“Offer this player a cookie if he'll answer a couple of surveyquestions. Doing this will put you 15 points ahead of Bob.”

[0252] Rather than outputting the cumulative commission for a particularrepresentative, the central computer may output any cumulative functionof commissions. For example, a video screen may display to arepresentative his average daily commissions from the last month.Possible cumulative functions of commissions comprise the averagecommission over a time period, the average commission over a number ofattempted offers, and the mode, derivative, rate at which commissionsare changing and standard deviation of commissions received.

[0253] Information about a cumulative function of commission may beoutput after the commission is provided. For example, a gaming device,PDA or point-of-sale terminal may indicate to a representative that hehas averaged 8.3 points per transaction over the last week.

[0254] Information about a cumulative function of commissions may beoutput before a commission is provided. For example, a PDA may indicateto a representative that he should offer a player a new credit card andthat if he completes this offer then he will have an average of thirtytwo points per hour.

[0255] Information about a cumulative function of commissions may beoutput as part of a prompt. For example, a point-of-sale terminal maydisplay a prompt to a representative, wherein this prompt includes bothan offer and a commission. If the offer is accepted, then therepresentative's average amount of commission will be set to the numberdescribed in the prompt.

[0256] Information about a cumulative commission may be output relativeto a goal. For example, a video screen may display to a representativethat he needs to average forty-two points per hour for the rest of theday in order to win a free pair of movie tickets.

[0257] Information about a cumulative commission may be output relativeto other representatives. For example, a video monitor in the employeelounge may display that Andy is averaging five fewer accepted offers perhour than Bob. Similarly, the video monitor in the employee lounge maydisplay that Andy is averaging fourteen accepted offers per hour and Bobis averaging nineteen accepted offers per hour.

[0258] In one embodiment, the prompt that is output to a representativedescribes both an offer (e.g., offer to give a player a hotel room forthe night if he agrees to gamble for the next 6 hours) and a commission(e.g., receive 10 points). Outputting commission information in this waymay help representatives to associate particular offers with thecommissions that are provided for making these offers. For example, arepresentative may receive a textual prompt, “If you convince the playerto accept an offer for a new credit card, then you will receive 15points.”

[0259] Commission information that is output as part of a prompt may bedescribed in incremental terms. For example, a prompt may tell arepresentative, “Offer this player a free Winnebago test drive andyou'll get 10 points.”

[0260] Commission information that is output as part of a prompt may bedescribed in cumulative terms. For example, a prompt may tell arepresentative, “If you convince this player to gamble for the next 3hours, then you will have 510 points total.”

[0261] A prompt may include information about past commissions. Forexample, a prompt may tell a representative, “So far you have 235 pointstotal; please offer the player a free spin if he answers a few surveyquestions.”

[0262] A prompt may include information about future commissions. Forexample, a representative's PDA may display a textual prompt, “If youconvince the player to accept an offer to switch his long distancetelephone provider, then you will receive 10 points.”

[0263] A prompt may describe a commission relative to a goal. Forexample, a representative's PDA may display a textual prompt, “If youoffer the player 200 credits to switch his Internet service provider,then you'll only need 35 more points to win a basketball.”

[0264] A prompt may describe a commission relative to otherrepresentatives. For example, a representative's PDA may display atextual prompt, “You're only 5 points behind Oscar. If you can convincethis player to accept an offer to sign up for a new credit card, thenyou'll have the 2^(nd) most points of any representative.”

[0265] The commission information that is output to a representative maydescribe a commission that has already been provided (i.e., a “past”commission). For example, a representative's PDA may display to him thathe has earned 523 points in the last week. In this case, the act ofoutputting the commission helps to inform a representative of his pastperformance. Thus a representative is recognized for work that he hasperformed, which may help to increase morale and motivate therepresentative to perform similarly in the future.

[0266] Alternatively, the commission information that is output to arepresentative may describe a commission that has not yet been provided(i.e. a “future” commission). In one embodiment, such information aboutfuture commissions is hypothetical. That is, the representative may onlyreceive the described commission if he performs a particular action. Forexample, information about a future commission may be included in aprompt that is output to a representative, “If you convince this playerto accept the offer for the magazine subscription, then you will receive15 points.” Outputting information about future commissions may help tomotivate a representative to perform a action in anticipation of thecommission that he will receive.

[0267] In one embodiment, commission information is not output in thesame way to every representative. For example, commission informationmay be output to a first representative by describing an incrementalcommission in a prompt that is displayed on the video screen of his PDA.In contrast, a second representative may use an earphone to listen toinformation about his cumulative commission relative to a goal.

[0268] In one embodiment, the method of outputting commissioninformation is set independently for each representative. This way, eachrepresentative may receive commission information that is the mostmotivational to him. For example, one representative may be highlymotivated by seeing his progress towards a goal, whereas a secondrepresentative may be more motivated to see her cumulative commissionrelative to other representatives.

[0269] In one embodiment, representatives are permitted to select howcommission information is output to them. For example, a representativemay select that he would like to receive information about hiscumulative commission relative to a goal of winning a free pair of movietickets. Likewise, representatives may be permitted to select how theyreceive commission information according to any of the other factorsdescribed herein. Information about commissions may then be output torepresentatives according to their respective selections.

[0270] In one embodiment, a representative may receive differentcommission information at different times. For example, it could be thata certain representative is a football fan, and on the weekends ishighly motivated by receiving commission information about his progresstowards winning a new football. However, on weekdays (when there is nofootball on television), this representative may be more motivated toreceive information about his commission relative to otherrepresentatives. In this case, different commission information may beoutput to the representative based on the day of the week. The centralcomputer may also determine various other reasons to vary the commissioninformation that is output to a representative, including representativepreferences, historical data, and success/failure with particulardisplay strategies.

[0271] In one embodiment, different commission information may be outputaccording to the transaction rate of one or more gaming devices. Onereason for doing this is that it may take time for representatives toview and respond to commission information that is output to them.During periods of time when there are lots of players gambling,commission information may be output less often, or described in lessdetail. This should help to prevent representatives from spending toomuch time viewing commission information. Alternatively, during slowperiods, the system may output more comprehensive information about acommission. For example, an LCD screen on a PDA may be used to displaydetailed information about a goal item, or a representative may be ableto browse through his historical commission statistics. In addition, itmay be that certain vendors may be willing to offset some of the costfor a goal item for the opportunity to provide this targeted marketingto a specific representative or groups of representatives.

[0272] In one embodiment, the central computer uses feedback todetermine how to output commission information to a particularrepresentative. That is, the central computer monitors the results ofoutputting certain commission information to a representative and thenaccordingly adjusts how commission information will be output to thisrepresentative in the future. For example, the central computer mayoutput commission information to a representative according to aspecific display strategy (e.g. cumulative commissions relative to agoal). It may then monitor the success of this display strategy,possibly by examining the offer tracking database to see therepresentative's success at completing offers. If this display strategyis unsuccessful in motivating the representative, then the centralcomputer may modify the display strategy.

[0273] In a more detailed example of the use of feedback, arepresentative may use a PDA to indicate that he is interested inearning points toward a pair of movie tickets. However, outputtingcumulative commission information relative to the goal of winning a pairof movie tickets does not seem to motivate the representative very well;only 30% of his offers are accepted by players. To rectify thissituation, the central computer attempts a new display strategy, thistime displaying the representative's cumulative commission relative toother representatives. This display strategy proves to be much moreeffective, and the representative's take rate on offers increases to60%. Thus, feedback may be used to vary the output of commissioninformation.

[0274] As described herein, commission information may be output in theform of text or audio. It is also possible that commission informationmay be represented in other forms, including graphically. For example,rather than having a representative PDA displaying text that says, “Youare 205 points behind Bob,” a video screen may be used to display a bargraph indicating the relative commissions of the representative and Bob.

[0275] Various other graphical outputs are also possible, and many areanalogous to the textual examples described herein. For example, a videoscreen on a PDA may be used to display the text of a prompt (“Offer thisplayer 100 credits if he signs up for a new credit card”) and a piegraph showing how many points a representative has earned relative tohis goal of winning free tickets to an amusement park.

[0276] In another example, a color LCD screen on a representative's PDAmay be used to display a picture of the representative's goal item (anautographed Michael Jordan poster) and a line graph indicating therepresentative's progress towards achieving this goal.

[0277] In another example, a television monitor in the employee loungeis used to display an animated picture of four racecars, each onecorresponding to a different representative. The racecars are shown tobe racing around a track at speeds corresponding to the offer acceptancerates of each of the different representatives. The racecar in the leadwill correspond to the representative who has convinced the most playersto accept offers.

[0278] In one embodiment, employees receive penalties (also referred toas “negative commissions”) for certain actions. Different forms ofpenalties are analogous to the different forms of commissions that aredescribed herein. For example, a representative whose offer is rejectedmay lose ten points. Other examples of penalties include penaltiesapplied to a team of representatives, additional work duties/hours, andpenalties that vary dynamically. Outputting information about penaltiesis done in a similar manner to the output methods described herein.

[0279] In one embodiment, employees may receive both commissions andpenalties. For example, a representative may gain ten points for makingan offer to a player, but lose fifteen points if the player rejects theoffer. In one embodiment, information about a penalty may be output to arepresentative along with an indication of how he can earn back thesepoints. For example, a representative may be told that he just lost tenpoints for speaking an offer incorrectly to a player, and that he canearn back these ten points by making another offer to the player.

[0280] In one embodiment, representatives receive only penalties. Forexample, a representative may start his shift with 1000 points. Duringthe course of his shift, he loses points for performing the wrongactions or performing actions incorrectly. At one point, he loses 5points for having an offer rejected. Commission information may bedisplayed to the representative by showing him the total number ofpoints that he has left out of the 1000 that he had when he started. Ifthe representative has more than 750 points at the end of his shift,then he wins a free pair of movie tickets.

[0281] Outputting Additional Information

[0282] Additional information may be output to representatives. In oneembodiment, information output to a representative includes comments,criticisms, suggestions, or encouragement from a manager or otherrepresentatives. For example, a representative may receive commissioninformation saying, “You earned 500 more points this week than lastweek,” with a comment from the manager, “Keep up the good work! Playerswill accept offers more often if you smile more.” Such information maybe generated by the central computer, a representative's peers or by arepresentative's supervisor.

[0283] In one embodiment, the central computer may additionally outputinformation about a representative's performance. For example, arepresentative may use his PDA to access information about hisperformance statistics for the last month, including his total number ofaccepted offers, average rate of making offers, and most common offeraccepted.

[0284] The player may provide input in the form of comments about thequality of service provided by the representatives. For example, aplayer might be prompted by his gaming device to answer a few questionsabout the service he had received. This data would then be incorporatedinto the evaluation of the representative.

[0285] In one embodiment, a representative's PDA may additionally outputinformation about tasks that need to be performed. For example,information may be output to a representative indicating that he shouldtake out the trash. In one embodiment, representatives may earnadditional commissions by performing tasks. For example, arepresentative may be prompted, “If you get a drink for this player,then you will receive 15 points.” Examples of tasks include assistingplayers (e.g., getting drinks, providing directions, instructing aplayer how to play a game) and maintenance activities (e.g., cleaning upspilled drinks, cleaning ashtrays).

[0286] Call Center Presents Offer

[0287] According to one embodiment, a representative may use acommunication device (e.g., a telephone) to communicate with a player(e.g., present an offer to the player).

[0288] A player may operate a communication device in order to speakwith the representative. One form of communication devices comprises abuilt-in telephone on a gaming device. The telephone may ring wheneverthe representative would like to make an offer to the player (e.g., inresponse to a trigger event). The player may need only pick up thetelephone handset in order to hear the offer.

[0289] One form of communication device comprises a cellular telephone(e.g., the player's personal cell phone). The player may provide hiscell phone number to the casino when he signs up for a player trackingcard.

[0290] One form of communication device comprises a home telephone(e.g., in an embodiment where the player is gambling over the Internet).

[0291] One form of communication device comprises a streaming videophoneconnection in an Internet browser pop-up window (e.g., in an embodimentwhere the player is gambling over the Internet).

[0292] A representative may not be present on the floor of a casino whencommunicating with the player. Instead, the representative may be anoperator at a call center. One advantage of this arrangement is thatrepresentatives may be able to provide more offers to players, since therepresentative need not spend time walking around the casino.

[0293] In one embodiment, the representative acts at the direction ofanother person who provides instructions through any of a number ofdevices, such as an audio output (e.g., an earpiece communicatingwirelessly with a transmitter) or a textual or graphical output (thedisplay of a PDA).

[0294] MLM

[0295] According to one embodiment, a player may perform the job of arepresentative. That is, a first player may view an offer and thenpresent this offer to a second player. The second player may then chooseto accept or reject the offer. If the second player accepts the offerand performs an activity specified in the offer, then he will receive abenefit. In addition, the first player may receive a benefit.

[0296] Although the present invention has been described with respect toa preferred embodiment thereof, those skilled in the art will note thatvarious substitutions may be made to those embodiments described hereinwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0297] In one embodiment, a representative may direct a player to switchto another gaming device (e.g., a gaming device with a higher expectedpayout amount).

[0298] In one embodiment, a representative may perform services for aplayer, such as digitizing (converting to computer format) a photographpossessed by customer. The digitized image is then transmitted to agaming device, and may even be used in displaying elements of the gameon the gaming device. For example, a portion of the digitized image maybe used on the reels of a video slot machine.

[0299] In one embodiment, a representative may be directed by arepresentative device to (i) help a player carry coins or tokens to achange booth, (ii) sell gambling insurance to a player, possiblyexplaining premium costs and benefits of various policies to the player,(iii) take sports book wagers from a player, (iv) gamble with theplayer, either at a gaming device or without the aid of a gaming device,(v) assist a player in checking in or out of a hotel, (vi) deliver foodto a player, (vii) explain the rules of a game or of a gaming device toa player, (viii) provide the player with a device that allows the playerto summon the representative, or summon any other representative; and/or(ix) go meet a player at a time and/or location previously requested bya player.

[0300] In one embodiment, the player may have the capability to indicatethat he is not willing to speak with a representative. For example, thegaming device may provide an appropriate control (e.g., a “Do NotDisturb” button) that communicates such an intent to the centralcomputer, or indicates such intent to a representative in the area(e.g., causing the background of the display of the gaming device todisplay a specific symbol readily seen by someone nearby).Alternatively, the player may have another device (e.g., provided by arepresentative, a casino for hotel) that (i) communicates with thecentral controller to indicate that he is not willing to speak with arepresentative, and/or (ii) indicates such intent to a representative inthe area (e.g., a flashing red LED readily seen by someone nearby).

[0301] In one embodiment, a representative may comprise a monitor (e.g.,a large flat panel display located in the ceiling of a casino) whichdeploys and is visible to players at various times as directed by thecentral computer or people (e.g., other representatives).

[0302] In one embodiment, a representative may be a mechanical devicedirected to move by the central computer or people (e.g., otherrepresentatives).

[0303] In one embodiment, a representative device may output all or aportion of the offer to a player. For example, the representative devicemay include an audio output (such as a speaker) that informs a player ofcertain details of an offer.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: selecting a recipient of anoffer from a list of players in a casino; determining the offer whichincludes an activity for the recipient to perform and a plurality offree credits for play of a gaming device for the recipient if theactivity is performed; determining a representative to provide the offerto the recipient; determining a device associated with therepresentative; wirelessly transmitting the information to the device;wirelessly transmitting to the device instructions to provide the offerto the recipient; subsequently determining whether the recipient hasperformed the activity; and providing, to the recipient, the pluralityof free credits for play of the gaming device if the recipient hasperformed the activity.
 2. A method comprising: determining a recipient;determining an offer which includes an activity and a benefit;transmitting to a representative instructions to provide the offer tothe recipient; determining whether the recipient has performed theactivity; and providing the benefit to the recipient if the recipienthas performed the activity.
 3. A method comprising: determining arecipient; determining an offer which includes an activity and abenefit; determining a representative to provide the offer to therecipient; providing, to the representative, information relating to theoffer, and the recipient; determining whether the recipient hasperformed the activity; and providing the benefit to the recipient ifthe recipient has performed the activity.
 4. The method of claim 3, inwhich determining a recipient of an offer comprises: receiving, from therepresentative, data that identifies the recipient.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, in which receiving, from the representative, data thatidentifies the recipient comprises: providing a list of possiblerecipients to the representative; and receiving from the representativedata indicating at least one possible recipient of the list.
 6. Themethod of claim 3, in which determining a recipient of an offercomprises: determining the recipient based on an activity performed bythe recipient.
 7. The method of claim 6, in which selecting therecipient based on an activity performed by the recipient comprises:determining the recipient based on a gaming activity performed by therecipient.
 8. The method of claim 3, in which determining a recipient ofan offer comprises: determining the recipient based on the status of agaming session of the recipient.
 9. The method of claim 3, in whichdetermining a recipient of an offer comprises: determining the recipientbased on an activity performed by another person besides the recipient.10. The method of claim 3, in which determining a recipient of an offercomprises: determining the recipient based on another offer that hasbeen provided previously.
 11. The method of claim 3, in whichdetermining a recipient of an offer comprises: receiving, from therecipient, data that identifies the recipient.
 12. The method of claim11, further comprising: providing the recipient with a benefit inexchange for identifying himself.
 13. The method of claim 3, in whichdetermining an offer comprises: selecting the activity from a set ofactivities; and selecting the benefit from a set of benefits.
 14. Themethod of claim 3, in which determining an offer comprises: determiningwhether a predetermined condition is true; and selecting an offercorresponding to the predetermined condition if the predeterminedcondition is true.
 15. The method of claim 3, in which determining anoffer comprises: providing a list of possible benefits to therepresentative; and receiving from the representative data indicating atleast one possible benefit of the list.
 16. The method of claim 3, inwhich determining an offer comprises: providing a list of possibleoffers to the representative; and receiving from the representative dataindicating at least one possible offer of the list.
 17. The method ofclaim 3, in which determining an offer comprises: transmitting, to therepresentative, a request for an offer; and receiving, from therepresentative, data indicating at least one of an activity and abenefit.
 18. The method of claim 3, further comprising: transmitting, tothe representative, an instruction to obtain further information fromthe recipient before providing the offer to the recipient.
 19. Themethod of claim 18, further comprising: transmitting, to therepresentative, a question to ask the recipient.
 20. The method of claim3, further comprising: transmitting, to the representative, aninstruction to provide a device to the recipient.
 21. The method ofclaim 3, in which the activity comprises at least one of: applying for acredit card account; answering a question; and purchasing a product forma third party.
 22. The method of claim 3, in which the benefit comprisesat least one of: funds; a plurality of comp points; at least one freegame on a gaming device; and a discount on a product purchased.
 23. Themethod of claim 3, in which determining a representative comprises:selecting a representative based on a characteristic of therepresentative.
 24. The method of claim 3, in which determining arepresentative comprises: selecting a representative based on acharacteristic of the recipient.
 25. The method of claim 3, in whichproviding to the representative information relating to the offer andthe recipient comprises: determining a device associated with therepresentative; and wirelessly transmitting the information to thedevice.
 26. The method of claim 3, in which providing to therepresentative information relating to the offer and the recipientcomprises: determining a representative device associated with therepresentative, the representative device including a display device;and displaying the information on the display device.
 27. The method ofclaim 3, in which determining whether the recipient has performed theactivity comprises determining at least one of: a number of plays of theplayer, receiving information from the representative, and receivinginformation from the recipient.
 28. The method of claim 3, in whichproviding the benefit to the recipient comprises: crediting an accountof the recipient.
 29. The method of claim 3, in which providing thebenefit to the recipient comprises: increasing a balance of a gamingdevice played by the recipient.
 30. The method of claim 3, in whichproviding the benefit to the recipient comprises: providing aninstruction to the representative.
 31. The method of claim 3, in whichproviding the benefit to the recipient comprises: outputting a commandto a gaming device employed by the recipient.
 32. The method of claim 3,further comprising: verifying the recipient.
 33. The method of claim 3,further comprising: determining that the recipient has not performed theactivity.
 34. The method of claim 33, further comprising: penalizing therecipient.
 35. A computer readable medium storing data in a computerreadable format, the data representing: at least one offer whichincludes an activity to be performed and a benefit, at least onerecipient of the offer; and at least one representative to provide theoffer to the recipient.
 36. An apparatus, comprising: a first device,which includes the medium of claim 35, a processor operable to read datafrom the medium, a plurality of representative devices in communicationwith the first device, and a plurality of gaming devices incommunication with the first device.